Ashes of Eden
by HikarisDream
Summary: They were inseparable – rivals, friends, lovers. Until one day Sasuke just disappeared without a word leaving Naruto heartbroken. What will happen, when he returns to Konoha after five years determined to sever their bond for good? Will Sasuke be able to move on, or fall in love all over again? And why did he leave in the first place? A SasuNaruSasu Make-Up Story. AU Yaoi. Rated M
1. The Joy in the Sadness

**Soooooo, this is my first attempt at a Naruto fanfiction and also the first one written completely in English (to my German readers: there will probably a German version as well soon). It's a make-up story I thought about while listening to Breaking Benjamin's Ashes of Eden. Honestly guys, if haven't heard the song yet, open youtube and do so!**

 **Now to the story… what can I tell you… hmm… I can assure you that I hate sad endings, so there will be a happy ending, even if it takes a while to get there. I can also promise that it won't be too angsty! The next chapter will give some insight into Sasuke's feelings and after that you'll probably know what's going on. This chapter however, will focus solely on Naruto and the way he feels about what happened. I also wanted to use this chapter to introduce some of the Rookie Nine and their relationships with each other, which was quite challenging, I have to admit. Staying in-character isn't always easy.**

 **What else…? Ah, yes. The first five chapters have already been written, so even if my real life keeps me from writing sometimes, I'm enough chapters ahead to keep updating for a while. The next chapter will probably be posted on Monday or Tuesday, depending on when I get back home from this weekend's convention.**  
 **Unfortunately I don't have an English beta yet. If you find mistakes, feel free to contact me via PM.** **So far this story is planned to have 33 chapters plus an epilogue I'm really looking forward to.**

 **Now for the warnings: Yaoi, BoyxBoy, mature content! Don't like, don't read!**

 **Pairings: main SasuNaruSasu, mentioned HinaKiba, SakuLee, ShikaTema maybe others later**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, if I did, the ending would've been quite different *g* All characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.**

* * *

 _ **Ashes of Eden**_

 _Will the faithful be rewarded  
When we come to the end  
Will I miss the final warning  
From the lie that I have lived_

 **Chapter 1 The Joy in the Sadness**

„You really should throw that into the lake, you know"

Blue eyes snapped up from the surface of the water below him and with one fluent movement he put the small trinket he had been turning over and over in his hands, back on his right hand before he turned around to face the man who had so frequently ripped him from his thoughts.  
"You know I can't do that", he said with a sigh and felt the weight of the ring on his right hand a thousand times heavier than it actually was.  
He had been standing on the small bridge for what felt like hours, playing with the small golden ring while thinking about what it meant that he still wore it after all those years. He had thought about just throwing it into the lake, but had found himself unable to do so in the end. Too many feelings were still connected to the trinket and he had not yet given up hope that things would turn for the better, even if he should have.

"Yes, I know. Doesn't change the fact that you should, though", the other man replied. He did not smile and his clear eyes did not betray any kind of emotion, yet Naruto knew, deep down he worried about him and that left the blond man quite affectionate when it came to Gaara.  
"It was a promise of a lifetime after all and I don't go back on my word", Naruto said, playing with the trinket in question, the way he always did when feeling nervous. He could see Gaara arch one hairless eyebrow with a somehow questioning look in his clear green eyes.  
"Only for you, as it seems", he remarked taking a step towards Naruto while he lowered his gaze to the man's right hand where the tiny golden ring glistened in the light of a nearby street lantern that illuminated the bridge they were standing on.

In the background Naruto could hear the music and laughter emanating from the festivity in the high class hotel behind them. He tried to shut out the memories of a very similar hotel and occasion.  
"You are hurting", Gaara stated matter-of-factly and made Naruto swallow hard as his breath caught in his throat.  
"I knew it would be painful, but I promised to come. How could I miss Kiba's and Hinata's wedding, anyway?", he answered with a smile that would not quite stick to his lips.  
Gaara made no afford to hide his disapproval for he could not stand it, when his best friend was hurting like that and if he could, he would gladly take it out on the person he blamed for Naruto's suffering. But he could not. "Do you want me to take you home?", he offered, hoping beyond hope Naruto would agree and let himself be taken away from the scenery that caused so many unbidden memories to resurface.

"No it's okay. I just needed some fresh air, that's all", Naruto said trying hard to stop playing with the trinket that meant everything in the world and yet nothing at all.  
Gaara sighed and shook his head. "Whatever. Just let me know if… well… if you want to go home".  
"You know what; it might just be time for me to have a drink tonight. I'm not going to spoil Hinata's and Kiba's big day and some tequila shots or cocktails will surly get me into the right mood to celebrate". Naruto grinned sheepishly scratching the back of his head.  
"You think that's a good idea? To get wasted?", Gaara asked catching him by the wrist as Naruto started to walk over to the hotel.

"I didn't say anything about getting wasted, Gaara. I just don't want to spoil the good mood by sulking the entire evening", he explained, twisting his hand to break free from Gaara's iron hard grip that had become almost painful.

He knew, Gaara worried about him and he appreciated it, but he also knew there was a roughness inside the man, he could not escape from. But Naruto had never feared that side of Gaara. He knew how to deal with his best friend and believed in his ability to control himself. They knew each other for five years by now and Naruto had never once believed the other man would snap during a confrontation. A knowledge making him stay calm, even if he knew that his wrists would be bruised by morning.

"I'm not going to let him get under your skin from hundreds of miles away", Gaara proclaimed releasing Naruto, who rubbed over the now sensitive skin of his right wrist.  
"I'll be careful and reasonable, I promise", Naruto said with a smile on his lips. Gaara's expression softened a bit as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Those are an awful lot of promises for one evening", his voice was still emotionless but Naruto knew better than to assume that they did not exist beneath the seldom slipping impassive mask.

Naruto shrugged and shoved his hands into the pockets of his formal dress pants. "So far, I kept all of them", he said and knew Gaara to understand the stress on the first promise that they had spoken about this evening. He had not broken his vows in more than five years and although he knew had he met Gaara under different circumstances, the two of them might have become more than just best friends. However, Naruto's heart already belonged to another and as long as there was the slightest hope for things to turn for the better, he would not break the vows he had made eight years ago.

Gaara simply nodded. "That you have indeed. Let's go back inside, before Kiba sends his beast of a dog to get us". Naruto smiled at his best friend before leaving the bridge and crossing the lawn to go back to the hotel.

It was by far warmer inside and Naruto took off his jacket, leaving him only in his orange dress shirt with the black tie. Gaara on the other hand did not even look like being uncomfortable in his formal clothes. Sometimes Naruto wondered, how anybody could be so self-controlled, but then again he thought back and remembered a different person who had been quite as perfect in public as Gaara was. The thought alone tightened his chest painfully and made his breath catch in his throat.

He walked over to the bar and ordered a Gin Tonic hoping that the alcohol would help him relax and make him forget all the bad memories from the past. Or better, the memories which had been quite happy at the time and only turned out to bad after five years of replaying them in his mind.  
He savoured the taste of the drink on his tongue and turned, to find Kiba approaching him.  
"Hey, there you are, mate! I thought you'd gone home already", he said, his voice slightly slurred. Naruto guessed, the drink Kiba was holding was not the first one that night, nor the last.

"Naaaahhh, of course not. I would never leave without properly celebrating with you and Hinata. I'm so happy for you guys", Naruto replied with a wide grin on his face, masking whatever else might be going through his head.

"Well, you're certainly doing a better job at it than him at least", Kiba grumbled, pointing towards a handsome dark haired man with pale eyes, standing in a corner of the large room with his arms crossed in front of his chest, looking sour. Naruto shrugged at the sight of him, although he felt sorry for Hinata for having that man as a cousin.  
"No one would ever have been good enough for her when you ask Neji. Don't let him spoil your big day".

Kiba took another sip from his drink. "I'm not bothered really, but I think it bothers Hinata. No one from her family came but him and he keeps looking like someone pissed in his beer".

"Maybe someone should", Gaara's dry voice came from Naruto's other side. He turned his head and smiled. There was absolutely no way of guessing whether the statement was meant as a joke or if Gaara really was serious.  
Kiba started to snigger. "Not a bad idea. Maybe that would get the big fat sick that's shoved up his ass, out".  
"Would absolutely be an improvement", Naruto agreed, taking another sip from his Gin and Tonic.

"Hey Kiba, have you seen my siblings?", Gaara asked, holding his soda. Someone had to stay sober, as least to make sure a certain blonde would find his house tonight without getting lost on the way.  
"I think, I saw Temari dance with Shikamaru and Kankuro tried to get the DJ to play something other than that 'romantic stuff'. Apparently he has forgotten he's attending a wedding", Kiba replied giving the blond bartender a hint that he wanted another drink for himself as well as a new GinTonic for Naruto.  
Gaara raised one hairless brow in question. "I'll go safe the DJ from Kankuro. But I warn you Kiba, if you get Naruto drunk, I'll make sure your bride will have a quite unsatisfying wedding night", he said with one last glance at Kiba's lower regions before leaving the two men alone at the bar in order to find his trouble causing brother.  
"He doesn't really mean that, does he?", Kiba asked, his voice a little too high pitched.

Naruto chuckled upon taking a sip from his new drink. "You shouldn't bet on it being a joke. But don't worry, I'm a big boy and I know what I'm doing".  
Kiba nodded in relief, before turning to an overly energetic Rock Lee, who had just appeared behind him and was determined that the groom had to dance with his bride as a celebration of the spirit of youth.

Left alone, Naruto stared into his drink. He had tried to avoid thinking about the past the entire day and at first he had been successful in blocking out the memories of the happiest day of his life that now was nothing more than a faint glimpse at a different life. He downed the rest of his drink in one go and ordered yet another one, knowing he had promised Gaara not to get drunk, but finding himself increasingly unable to keep the past at bay if stayed sober.

"Gaara's gonna kick your ass, when he finds you passed out at the bar", Shikamaru said, as he suddenly appeared at his elbow and took the seat next to Naruto.  
"I bet he will. But I think, it's worth the risk", Naruto answered, before grinning at the man next to him. "And shouldn't you be dancing with Temari, anyway?".  
"Nah, she's helping Gaara with Kankuro. Seems he has had one drink too many and is now bothering the poor DJ. Too troublesome if you ask me".  
"Poor Kankuro. Gaara and Temari are going to give him a hard time", Naruto said with a chuckle, before taking a large gulp from the GinTonic.

"And you? Getting drunk to keep the demons at bay?"

Naruto sighed. One could really not keep anything from Shikamaru, who always seemed to see right through everyone with his analytic mind.

"Probably. But it's still better than sulking the entire night. It took Kiba and Hinata so long, to come to this point. I want to celebrate it without the memories of my own wedding pulling me down".

"Did you ever consider calling him? I mean he is not beyond your reach, he just moved to Tokyo without any explanation"

"Yeah and that's the problem. He never explained why he left and he never answered any of the letters I send him and by the time I realised he wasn't coming back, I felt too afraid of the answer, to ask for the reason". Blue eyes stared into the depth of the drink as if it held all the answers to the questions Naruto had repeated over and over again in his mind for the past five years.  
Why did he leave? Did I do something wrong? Why did he never explain? Did I hurt him in any way? And most of all: Is he ever going to come back?

"Hey! Are you listening?", Shikamaru waved his hand in front of Naruto's face making him snap out of his thoughts. "Ah sorry, got a bit carried away", Naruto answered with an apologetic smile.  
"I said you should talk to him. Make him explain, so you can go on and live your life afterwards. You'd be free of him and the lingering question why he left you after all those years together", Shikamaru explained. As ever since his former mentor Asuma had died, the man sounded like the voice of reason, making Naruto wonder about the way he dealt with the shit in his life. Shikamaru, always right, always calling for responsibility.

"You know what? I will! I'll call him, at work if I have to, and make him explain, why the bastard left and then I'll find myself a partner who isn't a total asshole and runs off without saying a word", Naruto agreed with a shit eating grin on his face, downing his drink. "And now I'm gonna find Sakura and ask her for a dance".  
Shikamaru smiled a little and nodded, glad that Naruto was back to his usual exuberant self. It was rare to see him brooding like that, but tonight, who could blame him? Shikamaru remembered Naruto's own wedding all too well, the constant grin on his face and the joy radiating off him. Who would have guessed, it would end with a broken heart?

XXX

"Hey, Sakura-chan! Do you think Lee would give up his claim and allow me one dance with you?", Naruto asked the pink haired woman sitting at one of the richly decorated tables the wedding guests had had their dinner served at earlier that day.  
Sakura smiled at him, seemingly relieved to find him in such a good mood. "He certainly will, if he doesn't want to spend the night on the couch… again. Let's go!", she said with a giggle, linking arms with Naruto while they walked over to the dancefloor. The DJ had not changed his choice of music so far, proofing Kankuro's attempts to be futile. Naruto smiled at Sakura when they reached the dance floor. Both knew Naruto to be a little clumsy and not the best dancer but neither of them cared. Sakura just wanted her best friend to have a good time and Naruto was poised enough to see himself as the greatest dancer that ever lived, despite the fact that Sakura had to avoid his steps every now and then so he wouldn't accidently step on her toes.

Dancing with his elementary school crush lightened Naruto's mood more than any drink could do. For the first time this day he had totally forgotten about all the reasons he had, to be sad and hurting. Sakura had been one of his closest friends for almost his entire life, or at least since he had outgrown his childish crush on her at the age of fourteen, when he had found himself more interested in boys than girls. It had come to the both of them as quite a relief and, with all the awkwardness gone, Naruto and Sakura had been able to become real and close friends. Naruto almost loved her like a sister and he was forever grateful to know her.

Sakura on the other hand had taken longer to overcome her own teenage crush, but as soon as she had finally realized the truth about the boy she had fallen for, things had become blissfully easy between all of them and Sakura had been free to finally find someone who would reciprocate her feelings. Naruto had been more than happy when she had finally gotten together with her first boyfriend back in High School. Although he had to admit, it had come as quite a surprise to him that the boy in question had been and still was none other than Rock Lee. However, Naruto was happy for his two friends, even though their combined tempers sometimes were a bit of a challenge for all of their peers.

Right now, dancing with Sakura and spinning her around while she tried to avoid Naruto's mislead feet, made him feel safe, as if nothing had changed at all since their teenage days. Her light green eyes were bright in the warm, glittering light on the dancefloor and she laughed at him, holding onto his shoulder with one hand.  
"You really can't dance, Naruto, but it's so much fun anyway", she uttered slightly out of breath, throwing her head back in an attempt to free her face from a loose strand of hair without using her hands.  
Naruto joined into her laughter, feeling free and excited. "Hey, you knew what you were getting yourself into".

Sakura smiled and took a step closer to him as the music changed to the next song, making Naruto freeze where he stood – X Japan's Forever Love. Naruto loved the song; he hated it. He had danced to it once before with someone else. Someone, who had abandoned him and had left him broken. Sakura sensed his change in mood and closed the gap between their bodies, forcing him to move slowly with the rhythm of the song.

"Don't let it get under your skin, Naruto. Drown the old memories and let's make new ones tonight. Next time you hear that song, I want you to think of this dance with me, understood?", she whispered close to his ear, her breath warm on his skin and her voice low and caring. She was indeed like a sister to him.  
Without a word he nodded and continued moving slowly with the music, his eyes closed, trying to keep the memories at bay and to focus on Sakura, the way she felt in his arms and the fragrance of her perfume.  
After a while the old pictures seemed to fade from his mind and by the time the song had ended, Naruto felt calmer and more relaxed.  
"Feeling better?", Sakura asked, her hand resting on his biceps.

"Yeah, better. Thanks, Sakura-chan"

"You know he's not worth your tears, right?"

"Gaara keeps telling me the same. But I'm good, I really am. That was just a small flashback, nothing to worry about", by the end of the sentence Naruto was back to his usual happy smile, blue eyes bright with life and mischief.  
Upon seeing her best friend back in a cheerful mood, Sakura nodded contentedly. "Good. I'm heading back to Lee, before he challenges someone to do push-ups with him or something like that".  
"Right. I'm gonna find Gaara, guess he needs some help with Kankuro again", Naruto said, waving at Sakura before he took off and left the dancefloor.

On his way back to the room with the bar though, he came face to face with a beautiful woman clad all in white. Her dress was chaste but elegant, and fit her slim form perfectly. The pale eyes looked fondly at him, while she tucked a strand of dark black-blue hair behind her ear, a faint blush on her cheeks - Hinata. She had had a crush on Naruto all through Middle School and it had taken quite a lot of convincing not only from him, to make her go on a date with Kiba, who had been crushing on her for years by then, but had never grown the balls to ask her out herself.  
"Naruto-kun", she whispered shyly with a small smile tugging at her lips.  
"Hey, Hinata", he said, taking in the sight of her, the beautiful, happy bride she was. He was glad to see her like that, on her wedding day. Back in High School he had felt bad at times, for not feeling the same for her as she did for him, because she really was a sweet girl, and if he were into girls he would fall for her, but unfortunately his heart had always belonged to only one person. Almost ten years later she was the one marrying the man she loved, while he looked back at five years of loneliness and yet he really felt happy for her. "You look great! Kiba really is one lucky guy", he added with a big grin.

She took a step forward without warning and hugged him tightly.  
"Thank you, Naruto-kun", she said in her soft voice. Naruto sighed softly, wrapping his arms around Hinata's slender form while rubbing her back reassuringly. "There is nothing to thank me for", he said, without letting go. He knew he had hurt her badly during their Middle School days, being absolutely oblivious about her feelings for him.  
"But I want to thank you for being there for me, when my family didn't approve of Kiba and me. You gave me strength to go through with my plan of being with him, even if that means I'm not really on speaking terms with my family right now", she explained, her voice not one bit sad, only stating the facts.  
"That's what friends are for", Naruto told her, stepping a few inches away from her, with one hand now resting on her shoulder.  
"You are the best. Thank you. I hope the day is not too painful for you", she said, placing one hand over his in comfort.  
Naruto shook his head and showed her a grin. "I'm fine. It's been eight years since and maybe we were too young to find true love that would last forever. It was but a nice dream".  
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have…"  
"It's alright. Stop worrying, Hinata. I'm going to look for Gaara now and you will go and find your newlywed husband and dance with him. Enjoy every second of today, it's the best day of your life after all", he said, showing her another far too wide grin, before letting go of her shoulder and leaving her, so she could go and find Kiba.

However, instead of looking for Gaara, as he had told Hinata and Sakura, Naruto headed straight for the bar, ordering the sweetest drink they could offer. He had started to go for Gin and Tonic some years ago, as an attempt to proof that he did not only like sweet and sticky stuff. But tonight he wanted to get rid of all memories connected to the person, to whom he had proven the ability to stomach bitter stuff as well. Sweet drinks it was then.

He took a seat again and began sipping his drink, feeling his mind go blank. After a while he looked up at the bartender. As far as Naruto knew, the man worked fulltime at the hotel. He was in his late twenties with dark blond hair and bright blue eyes – well, at least with one blue eye, for the other one lay hidden behind a thick strand of long hair covering almost half of the guy's face.

"Hey, uhm…", Naruto glanced at the man's nametag. "… Deidara, what's that cocktail called?". He pointed at the drink in front of him and rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.  
"It's called Sweet Temptation, yeah", the bartender named Deidara, replied.  
Naruto chuckled, toying with his drinking straw. "Well, that's certainly a fitting name".  
"Why? Because you're looking for a temptation or something sweet?", Deidara asked in a playful but also flirtatious tone. He was amused to say the least.  
"Maybe both", Naruto answered, taking another sip, carefully wrapping his tongue around the drinking straw. The cocktail really was almost too sweet and at that moment drinking it made Naruto feel like a rebellious child stealing forbidden cookies although the parents told him it was time for his vegetables.

"Well, I can help you with the temptation, yeah", while still talking Deidara started to write something down on a paper tissue before handing it over to Naruto. "His name is Sasori. I used to work with him some time ago. If you're still up for a temptation, give him a call, yeah", he added with a wink of his one visible eye.  
Naruto took the tissue and looked at the phone number written on it. What was he to do with it? Was he really looking for some kind of temptation? Well, he usual was an outgoing person. He loved to interact with others and meet new people and if he had not fallen in love far too deep at far too young an age, he might have enjoyed going to bars and face one or another temptation.

"The only way to get rid of a temptation, is to yield to it, yeah", Deidara said, watching Naruto as he turned the tissue in his hand.

"Did you just make that up?"

"No. It's art, yeah. Oscar Wilde's Picture of Dorian Gray", the bartender explained with a grin while simultaneously shaking his head at Naruto's supposed ignorance when it came to classic literature.  
"You are into literature?", Naruto wanted to know, chuckling. The other man looked to fashionable with his strange hairstyle and dark eyeliner that he had not suspected him to be so literate.  
"I'm not into literature; I'm into art, yeah. That's a difference, blondie".  
"Sure is", Naruto laughed. He really thought the guy was strange, but not in an all bad way, just a little eccentric. "If you're so into art, why are you working as a bartender in a hotel?"  
"I majored in art, but it takes a while before you own a gallery and a man had to live off something", Deidara explained with a shrug, exchanging Naruto's empty drink with a new one.  
"Thanks", Naruto said, looking at the drink. He knew he had already had more than he probably should, feeling his mind go dizzy, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Deidara shrugged again, before turning to a man Naruto didn't know, to take his order.

It was not until Naruto had also finished his second Sweet Temptation and was happily babbling to Chouji, who balanced a plate full of food on his knees, listening to Naruto's constant flow of slurred words that Gaara and Temari managed to come back to the bar. They had apparently convinced their drunken brother to let go of the poor DJ who would certainly not play Dir en Grey on a wedding, but stick to what Kankuro called 'Songs from the The-Vampire-Diaries Soundtrack'.  
Back at the bar Gaara took one look at his drunken best friend, trying to determine whether to hit him or not. Naruto had promised not to get wasted, and usually he was a man of his word, but it seemed tonight had just been a little too much even for a joyful person like him.  
Gaara could sympathize.  
He had dreaded this day on Naruto's behalf ever since they had received the invitation. It had taken Kiba and Hinata a long time to get together and form a bond, strong enough to last under the pressure of the Hyuuga family. The similarity between Kiba's and Hinata's wedding and Naurto's own were too big to be ignored. And so Gaara had known this day to be quite challenging for his best friend and didn't blame him for finding a distraction from his own thoughts by having a drink too many. He would just make sure that Naruto got home safely and didn't suffer too much from the hangover the next day.

"Hey, Naruto. It's time I took you home. You've had enough fun for one night", Gaara said, taking a sip from the drink in front of Naruto, which Deidara had replaced again only minutes ago, but felt rather disgusted by the taste. "That's gross! How can you even drink that? It's awfully sweet".  
Naruto just laughed at him whole heatedly. "Yeah, that's the whole point of it, you know? The sweeter, the better. Just like me!".

Gaara raised a hairless brow. "Well, I don't care how sweet you are, but I do care about getting you into bed – alone that is!"  
"But Gaara, Chouji and I are having fun. I don't want to go home", Naruto complained, swinging the glass in his hand without caring that its content spilled over the bar.  
"You can have fun together next time. Now we're going home and you will sleep this off", Gaara said in a voice that left no room for further discussion, making Naruto swallow his objection, while a pale hand closed around his wrist.  
"Yes, yes. I'm coming", Naruto sighed, almost stumbling as he tried to get off his stool. Gaara however caught him and shook his head disapprovingly.  
"See, you can barely stand".  
"Hey, I'm not _that_ drunk! Come on, I'll drive us home", Naruto grinned, fishing for his car keys in the pockets of his jacket.  
"Oh no, we are walking home. You're in no condition to drive", Gaara took the keys from Naruto's hands to make sure he wouldn't use his car. The other man pouted but gave in anyway. He knew better than to argue with Gaara about something like that and he really was too drunk to come up with good arguments.

XXX

The air outside was fresh and slightly cold, but no longer freezing. It was early May and the temperatures would still drop below 10° with the fading sun, but Gaara was quite happy about the cool air. Naruto put one arm around his best friend's shoulder and grinned. "You know what? You're the best friend a man can have!".

"Yeah, whatever. You're drunk"

"Noooooooo. I mean it. You never let me down. You're always worried. You don't just abandon me without an explanation", the last words were almost a whisper and for the first time that night Gaara could hear the hurt in Naruto's voice. He had supressed those emotions for Kiba's and Hinata's sake, but with the alcohol loosening his tongue and his feelings, he could no longer outrun the past he had tried to forget for five years. Usually he was able to keep these feelings locked away and to just go on with his life, but today was different.

"I will never leave you behind", Gaara answered, his voice calm and steady. They had almost reached Naruto's house, so it wouldn't be long now before he could go to sleep.  
"Do you think, he'll ever come back?", Naruto asked, leaning heavily on Gaara, who had one arm around his best friend's waist.  
"I don't know. But if he does, I hope he'll have a very good reason for what he did. Otherwise I might have to break some bones", Gaara replied dead serious.  
Naruto chuckled. "Get in line. Sakura promised the same five years ago".

"Yeah, she's frightening sometimes"

"Says the most frightening person I've ever met"

Gaara raised an eyebrow, searching Naruto's pockets for the keys to his house as they stood on the steps in front of the door.  
"Stop groping me", Naruto giggled.  
"I'm not groping you. I'm looking for your keys, damn it", Gaara sounded a little annoyed, but eventually found what he was looking for and unlocked the front door. He knew his way through the house well enough to find everything he needed and get his friend into bed, without even switching on the lights.

While Naruto headed for the bathroom, Gaara drew the curtains in front of the windows to make sure, waking up would be as comfortable as it could get after a night of heavy drinking.  
A few minutes later a slightly swaying Naruto clad in nothing but an awful orange T-Shirt and green boxers re-entered his bedroom. "Oh fuck, I'm tired", he mumbled.  
"You better be. It's been a long night", Gaara replied, placing a glass of water on the bedside cabinet.  
"Hey Gaara, the bartender, Deidara, slipped me the phone number of one of his friends", Naruto chirped and sat down on the edge of the king-sized bed.

"You're not going to call him anyway, so why bother telling me?"

Naruto shrugged, suddenly looking sad instead of cheerful. "Well, everybody keeps telling me to let go and move on. Maybe I should. He's not coming back, that's what you all think. What if you're right? I should keep that number and call the guy".  
Gaara shook his head patiently. "No, you should go to sleep". He grabbed the comforter and shoved Naruto into the mattress, before covering him with it.  
"Yes, mom", Naruto pouted, fisting the cover anyway.  
"I'm leaving now. I'll come back around noon to make sure you're okay". With a last glance back at his best friend, Gaara left the bedroom and closed the door behind him.

Naruto watched him leave before burying his face in the soft pillow. The room was spinning and he started to feel sick. In an attempt to block out the nausea he closed his eyes and tried to steady his breathing. Lying on the soft bed in the darkness, Naruto could feel sleep approaching. He sighed heavily, knowing that his thoughts would drift to the one person he always thought of at night before finally falling asleep.

"Sasuke…", he whispered as his mind drifted into blissful nothingness.

* * *

 **To be continued...**


	2. The truth in the lie

**Hi everyone!**

 **I promised to post this chapter as soon as possible and here it is! I tried to finish it by Monday, but the weekend was rather exhausting, because we went to a convention in southern Germany and spent the last three days with Cosplay and Anime :P  
But hey, I know how to bind a Yukata now! Theoretically that is.  
I think updates will be online every ten to fourteen days from now on and I'm currently working on chapter 6, which is about halfway finished. **

**Now for this chapter. I wanted to give you some insight into Sasuke's life and how he feels about Naruto and all the things he never told him. You'll probably also get an idea how they ended up in this situation in the first place. Also, this chapter starts the entire plot because it gives Sasuke a reason to return to Konoha. I really hope you'll like it!**

* * *

 **Chapter 2 The truth in the lie**

It was 7:30am on a Saturday morning and Uchiha Sasuke entered his office, coffee in hand, ready for another annoying day of work for the Uchiha National Bank, in short UNB.

"Ah, Uchiha-san, your 9:30 appointment just called. He is sick and wants to reschedule the meeting", his secretary Karui said, as soon as he walked past her desk, being his usual gloomy self. He stopped in front of her in case she had any further information for him and looked down at her with fathomless onyx eyes. The red haired women handed him a folder with papers in. "Those arrived earlier today from Singapore, I thought they might come in handy for today", she explained to him, her face straight and professional.  
She had started to work for the UNB even before Sasuke had entered the financial institution five years ago, and had become his personal assistant right away. By now she knew all about his business partners, the projects he was responsible for and his working schedule, as well as the restaurants he preferred for business dinners. However, she barely knew anything personal about her boss. Indeed he was a good looking, handsome, intelligent and rich man, but that was just as much as almost everyone in the country knew about Uchiha Sasuke.

In the five years since she had started working for him, the man had not had one date, nor did he attend any gatherings aside from work. He never asked her to book a table for a private dinner or to buy tickets for the cinema. It seemed as if Sasuke simply had no private life and lived only for the good of the company. He came in early every morning, six days a week and never left until eight or nine in the evening. Not even his older brother Itachi worked that much.

"Hn. I'll be in my office preparing for the presentation at noon. I'm not to be disturbed, unless the whole city burns down", Sasuke said, taking the folder from her hands.  
Karui nodded in understanding. "As you wish, Uchiha-san. But your father requested your presents at the family estate after the meeting".  
"Tell him, I'll be there when I finish work", Sasuke replied before turning and entering his personal office without looking back, closing the door behind him. Unconsciously he slid one hand into the pocket of his expensive dress jacket, feeling for the tiny box he knew resided there, because he always carried it with him no matter where he went.

It was quite funny how much a little item could mean to a person. Ever since he had come to Tokyo he had felt the urge to touch the box at least once a day. Without it, he sometimes feared, his life had only been a dream, but feeling the outline of the box reminded him of the happiness he had once felt at least for a few years of his life.  
He let go of the box and ran a hand through his carefully styled hair, all black bangs in the front and 'duck-butt-style' at the back of his head, as he sat down in his expensive leather desk chair, leaning his head against the backrest. He had a throbbing headache and wished he could just have stayed in bed this morning, but being the always responsible person he was, he had dragged himself to work.

After placing the folder about today's working schedule on the heavy mahogany desk in front of him, he took the small box he always kept close and popped it open. There, in the middle of the velvety stuffing, sat the tiny golden ring Sasuke had not worn for the past five years, at least not in public. Whenever he was alone in his luxurious apartment, he would open the box and take out the ring to wear it, remembering everything he had sacrificed in his attempt to do the right thing. The ring still fitted perfectly as he slid it onto his annular finger and slowly turned his hand, gaze locked on the golden trinket. It was his most treasured possession, although here in Tokyo only Itachi officially knew he had ever owned it. Telling anybody that he had kept his wedding band had been out of question after he had left Konoha and Naruto behind.

Nobody was to know what he had done. Did he regret his decision? No, it had been the only way to deal with the situation back then. Did he miss Naruto? Yes, every day. But he would do it all again, if that meant the man he loved got a chance to find true happiness. Sasuke had sacrificed his own future to make sure, Naruto had one. Sighing he removed the ring from his finger and closed the box again to slid it back into his pocket, where it was safe and always close.

To tell the truth, Sasuke didn't feel particularly productive that day, but he was an Uchiha and Uchihas always did their duty, even if it meant scanning through masses of paper about potential financial partners and promising investments, because that was exactly his job. While Itachi had become the supervisor for all investments concerning the stock market, Sasuke was head of the department for financial partners and start-up investments. Neither of the brothers had reached the top of the success ladder so far, but they both had the potential to one day co-lead the UNB side by side.

Running yet again a hand through his dark hair, he opened the folder in front of him and started to examine the business plan of one of their potentially new funded start-ups from two young men developing a software for schools as well as teachers, helping with lesson planning and school management. If the idea succeeded, it could possibly reform the lives of teachers, students and ministries alike. It was promising, but so far the two of them lacked the right contacts to government officials to promote their new software. With a little push from an influential estate however, they could make a lot of money, especially if they managed to get exclusive contracts.

Sasuke felt quite sure that his father would approve of such an investment, if the two guys turned out to be serious about this, and willing to agree to the UNB's conditions. He would have to invite the two men to dinner, in order to discuss how well developed their software already was and how reliable they were.

* * *

By ten o'clock a sharp knock at the door disrupted Sasuke's preparations for his meeting at noon with another bunch of other start-up businessmen. "I said, I'm not to be disturbed today", he said, loud enough to be heard through the closed door.  
Whoever waited outside though did not seem to care about Sasuke's instructions and entered the room nonetheless.

Uchiha Itachi was a few years older than his brother, had long dark hair bound to a loose ponytail, not quite as black as Sasuke's, and the same deep onyx eyes.

"I see, normal rules do not apply to you, brother", Sasuke stated, watching Itachi come closer and take a seat in front of Sasuke's desk.  
"Ah, your mood is as good as always, Otouto, Itachi said with a smirk, folding his hands on the top of the dark mahogany wood, onyx gaze locked on Sasuke.  
"I have a meeting at noon, what do you want?", the younger brother inquired.

Itachi sometimes had a habit to annoy his little brother by ignoring every demand, dark glance and aloof attitude Sasuke threw at him, just to counter it with calm kindness, although he knew that Sasuke had every right to be annoyed.

"What? Can't I feel the urge to see my little brother?", he asked back.

Sasuke just rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair, one hand toying with his pen unconsciously. It was a sign for Itachi that he somehow got under Sasuke's skin, although he really just wanted to talk.

"So you interrupted my work just for the sake of small-talk?"  
"Ah, not exactly. I know it's not the best time, but I wanted to talk about dinner tonight", Itachi finally admitted. Sasuke raised one eyebrow in question. He really did not visit his parents too often, but it wasn't such a rare occurrence, for Itachi to get the feeling he had to talk about it with him. Something was off.

"About dinner? Why? Is Uncle Madara visiting again? If yes, I need to come up with a good excuse not to be there", Sasuke said, trying to sound quite unimpressed by Itachi's serious tone.  
"No, Otouto, fortunately Uncle Madara isn't visiting again. He prefers to stay on the countryside. The problem might actually be father this time", Itachi's voice betrayed no emotion whatsoever but Sasuke could guess that something about their father seriously bothered him, if he went as far as to warn Sasuke in advance.

"What does he want?", he asked, eyeing his older brother suspiciously.  
"I think he has a request for you. He wants you to marry, Sasuke", Itachi explained, before falling silent again, waiting for his younger brother's reaction.

Sasuke sat frozen in his chair, unmoving and unsure what to think. He was after all already married to the love of his life. To the person, he had sacrificed his personal happiness for, to make sure he at least would get a chance to find it… Uzumaki Naruto.  
After several minutes of silence, Itachi sighed and leant back in the chair he was sitting on. "So, what are you going to do, Otouto?", he asked, his voice calm, but Sasuke knew better, than to assume that he was not worried. Itachi knew about Sasuke's and Naruto's marriage, unlike his parents. (That was at least what Itachi thought.)

"I'm going to hear him out", Sasuke answered, trying to sound unimpressed. Ever since he had left Konoha, he had feared something like that would happen, but he wasn't going to show how deep his father's actions really cut.

"And then what? You're going to fly back to Konoha to make Naruto finally sign the divorce papers?", Itachi pressed on, furrowing his brows. Ever since Sasuke had shown up in Tokyo five years ago, proclaiming he would work for the UNB from now on, Itachi had wondered why his little brother would willingly leave the love of his life behind.

He had been there all through Sasuke's childhood, their parents wanting them to grow up away from the big city, but being unable to live with them so far from the UNB's head office. So from the age of thirteen on, it had fallen to Itachi to bring up his little brother on his own while simultaneously starting high school at a far younger age than anyone else in his class. Fortunately his parents had allowed him to study economics at Konoha University rather than in Tokyo, enabling him to stay with Sasuke until the boy reached the age of sixteen and could live on his own after Itachi had to leave for a life dedicated to their family's legacy.

However, his baby brother had always been the more rebellious of the two, always trying to pursue his own goals and it hadn't come as a surprise when Itachi found out about him being gay and madly in love with his best and probably only friend Naruto. Sasuke leaving that man three years into their secret marriage on the other hand had come as quite a shock. Ever since, he had tried to find out what had happened to make Sasuke move to Tokyo, but the man remained to this day, tight lipped and avoided the topic whenever it came up.

"If I have to, I will", Sasuke answered impassively, his eyes unblinking. He did not want to talk about Naruto with his brother, because he knew it would lead nowhere. He had made his choice five years ago and severed all ties back to Konoha and the life he'd had before. Now was not the time to start second guessing what seemed so right back at the time. However, he had never told Itachi his reasons for joining the UNB and that kept his brother asking. Sometimes he really wanted to confide into him, but then again he knew what Itachi's reaction would be, and Sasuke really couldn't deal with that. The fear of having his resolutions crumble was too great after all.

Itachi sighed, shaking his head in incomprehension. "As you wish, Otouto. We'll see each other at dinner tonight", he said, rising from his chair and heading for the door, while Sasuke watched him with dark, unreadable eyes. Stopping in the doorway, Itachi turned his head to look over his shoulder as he said: "I hope you know what you are doing", before he left without waiting for an answer.

As soon as the door was closed, Sasuke fell back in his chair, leaning his head against the backrest again, and running a hand through his now no longer perfectly styled hair. He had become quite good at concealing he true emotions if not even Itachi had seen through his recent acting. The truth was, it hurt like hell. Even the thought of going back to Konoha and finally losing his last connection to Naruto, was enough to leave him shaking. Honestly, he couldn't stand the perspective of replacing his marriage vows to the one person he really loved; with new ones to a person his father had chosen to prove his power over Sasuke's life again. And yet, he knew that in the end he would follow his father's wishes, just like he had done so many times before.  
He was an Uchiha after all and Uchihas had to follow different rules than average people, a bitter lesson he had learned five years ago when he had chosen his family's legacy over his personal happiness and left his husband without any kind of explanation.

Well, it wasn't like he didn't have one; he had even written it all down in a letter, but in the end he had never been brave enough to hand it over to Naruto, knowing that his husband wouldn't disallow his reasons and try to bring him back.  
Of course Naruto had tried to contact him all the same, sure in his believe he could make Sasuke return in Konoha, but he had never opened any of the letters he had received from his husband and after two years they had finally stopped.

Today Naruto was no more than a pleasant memory Sasuke tried to retain. The one thought able to calm him down and make him relax at night so he could find some sleep in his always cold apartment. Sometimes he felt like being six or seven years old again, unable to sleep because he was always cold, his body unable to produce enough heat to make him comfortable.  
Closing his eyes Sasuke tried to shut out the unbidden memories of a childhood spent in a far too huge, far too empty house. Back then Naruto had been his sun, warming him from the in- and outside. Today though, he was unable to find that kind of heat without the always cheerful bubble of joy constantly being around him.

Shaking his head to finally get rid of the unbidden images in his mind, Sasuke reached for his papers again, determined to focus on the conditions he had for the potential business partners he would meet in less than two hours. Every so often however, his thoughts would return to blue eyes and bright affectionate smiles, robbing him of his ability to concentrate on his work and by noon his mood had reached an all-day low.

* * *

To say that Sasuke felt annoyed would be an understatement by the time he left the conference room with his secretary in tow. The entire meeting had been one unnecessary discussion after another with the bunch of start-up businessmen making demands the UNB couldn't afford to meet. Too much money would be lost if their new company ended up unsuccessful. And to be honest, insolvency was not an uncommon fate upon young businesses nowadays. Sasuke just couldn't take the risk and so they had not come to an agreement today. This meant that the deal was either dead already or Sasuke had to go through another three hours of tug-of war about money in a few weeks' time. Without having secured the deal, visiting his parents that evening had just become even more of an unpleasant thought though. He headed back to his office to sort away the papers about the meeting, all the while thinking about what his father would tell him tonight.

Could he do it? Could he marry that girl? And why him and not Itachi? Itachi had always had more freedom to choose than Sasuke. He had been allowed to choose his school, university and even his department in the UNB, while Sasuke had been forced to live his life the way his father dictated. The only time he had rebelled against the chains restricting him, had been when he married Naruto, but in the end even that had been taken from him. And now it seemed he would be forced into yet another arrangement his father had decided for him, all for the sake of the person he loved the most.

"Uchiha-san", Karui's voice ripped him from his thoughts, her brown eyes were fixed on him, as he stood in front of his closed office door. "Your father called earlier. He wanted to know when exactly to expect your visit tonight", she said taking her seat behind the desk, and tucking a strand of her long red hair behind her left ear. With her warm eyes and brown skin she looked gorgeous and every boss who was into women would have long since fallen for her, but Sasuke found himself immune to all her unconscious charms.

"Tell him, I'll be there at seven, and tell all other clients that I'm unavailable today", he said impassively, returning to his office as he saw her nod in understanding. Inside he walked over to his desk, determined to burry himself in work for the next hours before he had to head home to get ready for his family dinner.

* * *

Three and a half hours later Sasuke stood under the hot water of his spacious shower, trying to get the tension out of his muscles. He hated how he never seemed to get warm these days and remembered waking up next to Naruto for the first time when they were children. It had been the first time he had not felt chilly in the morning, but comfortably warm. God, how much he missed that warmth…

Massaging shampoo into his soft dark hair, he remembered Naruto doing it all those years ago when they had still taken showers together. He could almost feel Naruto's hands in his hair, massaging his scalp with slow, strong and gentle movements of his fingers, pressing his hard, toned body against Sasuke. The warmth of Naruto's skin had seeped into Sasuke's, making him feel hot for more than one reason.

Even today, alone in his shower, the thought alone was enough to make Sasuke hard and as he wrapped a hand around his growing arousal, stroking the hard length, his mind provided him with all the right memories. The feeling of Naruto's skin under Sasuke's fingertips. The way tanned hands would caress his lover's body, touching every inch of it. Naruto, on his knees, sucking Sasuke's cock with blatant joy. How his cerulean eyes would darken with lust and how good those pink lips would feel while giving head. Sasuke remembered Naruto's unique scent and what it felt like to flip him over in the shower and press him into the cold ties.  
He could feel his orgasm approach, stroking his cock in a hard pace, as his mind replayed what it felt like to burry himself deep inside of the man he loved; feeling the velvety heat surround him and making Naruto scream with pleasure as he fucked him hard.  
Shuddering and moaning Sasuke reached his climax, coming hard on the white shower tiles. He was still panting from his release as he watched the water wash away the evidence of his lust.

Although it had been such a long time since he last saw his husband, Sasuke had always been and still was unable to jerk off to anything else than his memories of Naruto. The man remained to this day the only person who could turn Uchiha Sasuke on.

Sighing deeply he rinsed off and got out of the shower. It wouldn't help to linger on the past, especially if he had to let go of it forever after tonight. He wrapped a towel around his hips before stepping in front of the mirror and reaching for the blow dryer to style his hair.

Half an hour later he was dressed in a suit, looking like the perfect Uchiha he would pretend to be in front of his parents tonight. With a small smirk he slid the box with his wedding ring in into the pocket of his tuxedo jacket and adjusted his bow tie afterwards. No matter what would happen later that evening, he would never let go of the token Naruto had once expressed his love with.

Feeling a little sick, but determined not to show it, Sasuke left his apartment and used the elevator to get down into the basement car park, where all the residents of the expensive apartment complex he lived in, owned at least two parking spaces, for no one here was satisfied with driving only one car.

Sasuke got into his Lexus, his favourite car, and tried to focus on the street during his thirty minute drive to his parents' house. They lived in a different part of the city, where all the neighbours owned large estates and had more money than they could spend in a lifetime. Sasuke had never lived in that house, nor did he plan to. He knew his parents wished for one of their sons to one day move into the manor that had always been Uchiha property, but Sasuke despised the place and Itachi didn't seem too eager to get married. Sometimes Sasuke wondered whether his older brother had a secret lover and therefore never appeared interested in anyone.

But no matter the outcome of tonight's dinner, Sasuke would not move into that forsaken building to have his father breath down his neck night and day. He would marry that woman if he had to, but he would not become his father's showpiece for the rest of the clan.

Mentally preparing for a stressful night, Sasuke got out of his car after he had parked it in front of the sprawling estate constructed in the style of an English mansion and therefore looking all too western for Sasuke's taste. But owning a house like this screamed 'I have money' in Japan and so it shouldn't be surprising that his ancestors had chosen that style.

He climbed the stairs leading to the double doors at the entrance, when one of them was opened from the inside.

"Sasuke!", his mother, Uchiha Mikoto, smiled at him as she pulled him into a hug. She was a gentle and warm creature, but too often agreed with her husband for Sasuke's taste. As a child, whenever he had asked for something she had referred him to his father, as to not make the decision herself.

"Mother", he replied formally, hugging her back briefly before entering the spacious hallway.  
"Everyone is already waiting for you in the dining room", Mikoto said, as Sasuke took off his shoes and placed them on the shoe rack.

"Hn"

"Sasuke, remember what I told you about proper language", his mother scolded, her dark eyes narrowed at him. The older he got, the more he looked like her, with the same onyx eyes and the pitch black hair. Mikoto herself was a cousin of her husband's and had married within her own family, and yet one could see that Sasuke had her looks, while Itachi resembled his father, at least in appearance.

"Yes, mother. I'm sorry I made you wait", Sasuke said not feeling the least bit sorry for being late. Karui had told them he wouldn't be there before 7pm and so it wasn't his fault if they prepared dinner for 6:30.

As he entered the dining room, his father and brother both arose from their chairs. The only person to remain seated was a young woman about Sasuke's age, with long red hair and eyes the colour of ripe berries framed by glasses. She looked at him with slightly flushed cheeks and waved at him in confidence.

"Sasuke, you kept us waiting", his father said, gaining his son's attention.  
"I'm sorry father. I told Karui to inform you, but it appears the information must have gotten lost somewhere along the way", he replied, voice dripping with sarcasm when he made a curt nod as a gesture of respect Fugaku knew was faked.  
"Be that as it may, you're here now, so we can finally have our dinner", Fugaku said, sitting back down.

Sasuke shared a glance with Itachi before he took the only unoccupied chair next to the still nameless girl who would most likely be his fiancé after tonight. He felt sick at the thought of it alone.  
Mikoto as always took the seat next to her husband as the house staff started to serve the first course of the meal.

Dinner was a rather tense affair without much actual conversation. Fugaku questioned his sons about business every few minutes but both brothers remained rather uncommunicative, making a real conversation quite a challenge. Sasuke's failed deal with today's start-up business was of course discussed, with Fugaku demanding that his son would secure the investment in the next meeting, because he saw a lot of money in it.  
Mikoto observed her family in silence feeling a little concerned. Sasuke was even more withdrawn than usual and he kept sending suspicious looks to the girl next to him. Fugaku was sure she would make a wonderful wife for their son, but Mikoto couldn't fight off the feeling that Sasuke was far from pleased, he seemed almost sorrowful, even if he tried his best to hide it. She wasn't sure whether her husband and older son could sense it, but a mother always knew when her child was hurting. However, she had never disagreed with Fugaku's decisions before and she knew that her husband only wanted what's best for their children. It wasn't her place to now question him and so she could only hope for Sasuke to get along with the woman Fugaku had chosen for him.

After the dishes had been taken away and everyone was left with nothing but their glass of wine in front of them, Fugaku cleared his throat. Sasuke shared another glance with Itachi, knowing what was to come.

"Sasuke, I'm sure you already wondered why Karin joined us tonight", he said in a formal tone, dark eyes locked on his son's face.  
"Well, I do have an idea why she's here", Sasuke replied, taking a sip from his wine. He knew he should be careful when it came to alcohol because he wanted to drive back home later, but right now getting drunk seemed like such a good idea. Letting the alcohol wash away all the pain and leave him with nothing but is dreams of a past with Naruto that was long gone, but would seem so real for at least a few hours before he had to return to reality.

Fugaku raised an eyebrow, showing a small smirk. "Really? I guess, if you already know, you do agree to marry her? Karin's father is a long-standing business partner of mine and uniting our families is something that will give both our clans more power".

Sasuke turned his head and looked at Karin who seemed confident enough and nodded in agreement to his father.  
"He's right, you know? Uniting our clans would be advantageous for all of us. Our children would inherit two financial dynasties instead of one. They would lead the entire financial sector in Japan", she agreed, her voice not too girly, but no less energetic. "I know it's hard to imagine, because we don't know each other yet, but you will not regret it. I'm pretty useful myself, so we could work together and I will do anything to make you like me…"

Whatever else she said never transpired to Sasuke, because he stopped paying attention to her babbling, only nodding from time to time, or adding a 'hn' to the conversation. It was not that he didn't like her at all, she seemed like a capable woman used to the world both their families came from, but she just had bad luck to have to marry a man, whose heart was already taken, by another man that is.  
No matter how perfect she seemed, a little bold maybe, but with a sharp mind and open eyes, knowing what she was getting herself into, she could never compare to Naruto, who didn't care for money and power. Naruto, who just loved Sasuke for who he was and not for his name or legacy. He wanted that unconditional love more than anything, but he would again sacrifice it and be Karin's husband, even if he already knew that he would never love her.

A while later, when Karin was still talking enthusiastically, she grabbed his arm and rested her head on his shoulder, making him grip his glass of wine so tightly he feared it might shatter any moment from the pressure alone. To prevent himself from destroying his mother's tableware he cleared his throat and detangled his arm from Karin's hands.  
"I am very sorry, but I fear I have to take my leave now. I really enjoyed meeting you, Karin. We will see each other soon", he said upon rising from his chair. "Mother… Father… Thank you for dinner. Please excuse my early leaving, I had a long day at work", he apologised, nodding at both his parents.

"It's okay, Sasuke. Just get some rest", Mikoto replied, smiling fondly at him.  
"I'll accompany him to his car", Itachi stated, getting up from his chair at the table. Fugaku nodded in agreement when the two young men left the room and Karin waved at Sasuke excitedly.

Outside Itachi placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder preventing him from getting into his car right away. "Otouto, are you sure you want to do this?", he asked calmly.  
Sasuke looked at him for a second before nodding. "Yes, I'm sure", he answered.  
Itachi sighed, his hand slipping off Sasuke's shoulder. "Why? You loved him so much. Why are you doing this?"  
"Because I have to"  
"And now, what? Are you going back to Konoha to ask for a divorce?"  
"Exactly"  
"What are you going to tell father?"  
"Karui will tell him I'm on a business trip". Sasuke had everything planed already. He would take the first flight to Konoha in the morning, ask Naruto for his signature as soon as his lawyer got the documents ready and then return to Tokyo to do his father's bidding and marry Karin. That way, at least Naruto would be free to find true happiness in his life.

"I'm not sure Naruto will agree to that", Itachi pointed out, crossing his arms in front of his chest in disapproval.  
"He will have to", Sasuke stated, as he finally got into his car and started the engine.

Watching his little brother drive off, Itachi stood in the driveway and shook his head.

"Foolish little brother"

to be continued...

* * *

 **So this was it. The next six chapters are slightly different from this one, because they will contain flashbacks about Naruto's and Sasuke's childhood and adolescence. However, you should not just skip them, because they'll give the background about the two you'll need to understand the plot as a whole.**

 **Thank you for reading! Stay tuned!**


	3. The companionship in the loneliness

**Hey guys! Here it is: Chapter three! As I already said, it will contain the first flashback to give you an impression on how Naruto's and Sasuke's relationship developed. I really enjoyed writing this chapter because it was the first time I ever wrote something from the perspective of a child that young. However the chapter is not entirely without any plot development as well. Just not as much as the previous ones. I really hope you'll like it!**

 **Right now I'm in bed with the flu which hopefully proofs to be good for writing, because what else is there to do, if you can't go outside? And watching TV is getting soooo annoying lately - it's either poorly dubbed American series or ridiculous German series, both of them are a horror to watch. So here I am, sick in bed with fanfiction! Cough…**

 **Ok, enough about me, let's start with the chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, if I did, the ending would've been quite different *g* All characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.**

* * *

 **Chapter 3 The companionship in the loneliness**

"Ow…"

Naruto woke with a groan to bright sunlight shining through the gaps between his drawn curtains, the next morning. His head hurt like hell and his stomach felt sick. With his first coherent thought Naruto wished he had listened to Gaara the previous night and not gotten piss drunk. Too late for that now though.

Another pained groan escaped his dry lips as he reached for his bedside table hoping his blurred memory was correct and his best friend had indeed been so thoughtful to leave a glass of water there last night. It was with great relieve that Naruto got proven right as his left hand closed around the cold glass.

He had a habit of sleeping on the left side of his bed and Gaara new it. Back in the day when Naruto had still shared this bed with Sasuke, the other man had insisted on sleeping on the right side because that was where the windows were and Sasuke was by all means a fresh air fanatic. And even after he had left Konoha, Naruto had never found it in himself to change the side of the bed he slept on, although the right side was also closer to the door. To him the right side still belonged to Sasuke and he was not willing to give up on that, just as much as his heart was still unwilling to give up hope that Sasuke would one day return to his side with an explanation good enough to make him forget about all the pain and forgive the man on the spot. He knew it sounded ridiculous, but Naruto had always been a hopeless romantic and he believed in happy endings – in real life as much as in movies.

Groaning again, he tried to sit up, so he wouldn't spill all the water on the bed, which would surely happen if he drank it half lying. Last night he'd had at least one cocktail too many and now his skull felt like it would split apart any moment. How many had he had anyway? Maybe Gaara knew.

Now, in retrospective, Gaara had been right about not attending that wedding. It had only resulted in unbidden memories and unpleasant dreams. And how did it come to happen that he couldn't remember all of last night, but saw his dream as clearly in his mind's eye as if he just saw it on a screen?

Shaking slightly he downed the water in one go, but little did it help his burning thirst and so he got up, fighting the urge to puke on his bedroom floor, to walk into the bathroom and get more water directly from the tap.

The fresh water felt pleasantly cool on his overheated skin, as he filled his cupped palm with liquid and drank hastily from it, subsequently dampening his face. His body temperature had always been slightly higher than most peoples' and he usually liked it that way, but after a night of heavy drinking and sweating in his sheets he felt as if his skin was on fire. Dampening his hair as well, he decided to get back to bed and rest. Some parts of his body might demand a shower, but Naruto was smart enough to know that such an attempt would only lead to him puking into the tub. The thought alone was sufficient to make him nauseous and he leaned over as quickly as he could in his state to make it to the toilet in time.

Panting and with a tear strained face he reached for his toothbrush a few minutes later. His mouth tasted of bile and acid, making him feel even worse. The only thing he wanted right now was to get back into bed and burry himself under the soft sheets.

He really didn't know what had gotten into him, when he had decided to go to that wedding. Worst decision ever! Well, right after the one that had gotten him into the 'Who-can-eat-more-cheeseburgers' challenge with Lee back in High School. Naruto had been sick for days afterwards, and Sasuke had been pissed, but nonetheless made sure to bring him tea and zwieback because those had been the only things he could keep down. And then he'd fucked Naruto hard enough to make him forget how sick he felt in the first place. Those were the days Naruto had been happiest in his life, because no matter how shitty he had felt, he had been sure of Sasuke's support. The inseparable pair – rivals, friends, lovers. Never had he imagined that he would one day lead a life where Sasuke was nothing more than a fading dream from the past haunting him every night.

He sighed heavily as he shuffled back into the bedroom and collapsed on his mattress. Had Gaara said anything about coming to see him later? He couldn't remember and decided that he didn't care right now; all he wanted to do was take some painkillers and rest a bit. Remembering he had some in the drawer of his bedside cabinet, he reached for the little box, popped it open and took out some of the pills, swallowing them all in one go without any water.

Afterwards Naruto rested his head carefully on the soft pillow, willing the nausea away, bending his legs and letting his mind wander. Last night had been one of those nights he dreaded the most; when his head was filled with memories of his past life. He often dreamed of Sasuke and right now the images from last night came rushing back to him.

* * *

 _Six years old Uzumaki Naruto rubbed his eyes, and blinked several times, as he stood on the threshold of what was going to be his class room for the upcoming school year. The small boy let his gaze wander across the room. It seemed he was one of the last ones to arrive, for most seats were already taken by his new class mates._

 _It was his first day of Elementary School and Naruto felt pretty excited. His foster mother hadn't allowed him to go to kindergarten and so far Naruto's only play mates had been his foster siblings, with whom he didn't get along all too well. Today though, he would start a new life and make loads of new friends._

 _Grabbing his much too big school bag he walked into the room and started looking for an empty seat he could take. All the other children in his class were accompanied by at least one parent if not both, while Naruto had come on his own. But that was not the only thing that made him stand out like a sour thumb. Obviously the clothes the boy wore had belonged to someone else before, for not only did they look old and worn out but were too big and wouldn't fit Naruto at all. The other children however, were dressed for the occasion. The girls mostly wore pretty dresses and the boys at least new looking, fitting T-Shirts and jeans. Naruto looked down at his orange T-Shirt and the old baggy jeans that threatened to slide from his slender hips anytime. He felt pathetic but was determined not to show any insecurity. He wanted to make new friends after all._

 _While all other children were happily chatting with their parents, Naruto took his pencils and a sheet of paper out. His foster mum had bought him a set of new, coloured pens, which he now used to draw a picture on the lined paper in front of him. He had always liked to draw, but he had never owned a set of pens before and his older siblings would never lend him theirs. So he used his new four colours to try and capture the interior of the room that would be his class room for the next months to come._

 _Just when he started to colour his version of the black board with a green pen, he heard a voice from the hallway that made him look up from his drawing._

" _I know it's unfair, Sasuke, but it can't be changed now, can it? I have to go to school as well later", a male voice said in a friendly yet slightly stressed tone. Naruto couldn't see the speaker, but something about the way he spoke felt warm and patient._

" _Why didn't Okasan and Otosan come? They should take me to school", a younger, also male voice replied in childlike anger. Naruto guessed that was the one going by the name of_ Sasuke _._

" _They have to work, Otouto. You know that. Now, stop sulking and let's go inside", the first voice said with a ring of finality. Without waiting for the younger boy's reaction, the door slid open and a young teen appeared on the threshold, followed closely by a child of Naruto's age._

 _Both of them were by all standards nothing but extremely handsome, even in the eyes of a six-year-old; black silky hair and dark smouldering eyes accompanied by fair, alabaster-like skin. The older of the brothers was about 13 or 14 years old, with long black hair bound in a loose ponytail to keep it from falling into a face framed by soft looking bangs. His dark eyes looked kind and Naruto felt the urge to trust the boy although he had never seen him before._

 _The one named Sasuke had shorter hair and the shade of it seemed colder. It stuck out of the back of his head like a chicken's butt, if you asked Naruto, but he guessed the other boy wouldn't be too fond of calling his hairstyle ass-inspired. The equally dark eyes were fixed on the ground as the boy refused to take a look at his new classmates. His face was softer than the older brother's, but it already betrayed what the boy would look like once he outgrew the childlike features. As if struck by lightning Naruto came to the conclusion that he had to be at least as good as this child in school – he had found a rival._

 _The two brothers walked along the aisle in silence until the older one stopped next to the desk closest to Naruto's. "Hmm, looks like all the others are taken, but maybe you can get a seat in the front once the term has started and everyone has settled", he told his little brother, who took the school bag from his back and revealed a fan-like red and white symbol right between his shoulders on the back of his dark blue T-Shirt._

" _Hn", Sasuke said as he took his seat looking up to his brother, who sighed audibly._

" _Listen, Sasuke. I'll be going now. My class starts in 30 minutes. You know your way home, so just go there and wait for me, will you?", the older of the two boys fidgeted before he leaned down to brush back the other's bangs._

" _Fine. Thanks for taking me to school, nii-san", Sasuke murmured with a slight flush on his pale cheeks._

" _You're welcome, otouto", with a last smile at him the older boy left the classroom, while Sasuke started taking out his books._

" _Hey! Your name's Sasuke, right?", Naruto asked, leaning over to the boy in the seat next to him. Sasuke raised one perfectly shaped eyebrow questioningly._

" _That's none of your business, Usuratonkachi". He said, turning away from Naruto whose ears flushed red with anger and embarrassment._

Usuratonkachi? _Had that guy just insulted him without even knowing him? Naruto clenched his fists around the pen he was holding. At first, he had felt some kind of connection with the pale boy, because he too had no parents to accompany him on his first day of school, but now he thought Sasuke didn't deserve his offer of friendship with an attitude like that._

" _Oi, teme!", he exclaimed, making Sasuke turn towards him again. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto! You better not forget it! I'll become someone to remember one day!"_

" _Tch, in your dreams"_

 _Naruto narrowed his eyes at the boy and opened his mouth to retort, but the class room door slid open again and all chatter died down. Raising his head to get a better view, Naruto's gaze fell on the man who had just entered the room and now stood in front of the class smiling a little._

" _Good morning, everyone. My name is Umino Iruka. I will be your homeroom teacher this year", he said, his voice warm and gentle. He had friendly dark brown eyes, tanned skin and a scar reaching from one cheekbone over his nose to the other cheekbone. "Tea and cake will be served down in the teachers' room for the parents. So you can go and get the know each other while I'll go through the things your children need to know for the next months", he explained further, then stopped in his speech to give the parents some time to say goodbye to their children for now and head down to the teachers' room._

 _Naruto felt somewhat relieved about the leaving parents, making him less stand out from the crowd. He sent another glance over to Sasuke, who appeared impassive and seemed not to care that they were the only two kids without anyone to accompany them. He wondered why Sasuke's parents couldn't make it to their son's school enrolment._

 _Naruto propped his head on his hands and supressed a yawn. It had been challenging for him to make it to school in time this morning. Other than his classmates, Naruto didn't have a mother who would wake him when he had to get up. Most days he and his siblings were lucky of she managed to drag her butt out of bed in the first place. If not, they had to somehow find something to eat and care for themselves._

 _Naruto had been in the foster system ever since he could remember, his parents having died in a car accident shortly after he was born. He had never known his mother or father, nor did he have any memento of them. Some of his siblings still had pictures of their natural parents, but in Naruto's case there had been no time to take some. Usually he was quite a happy child, all smiles and joyfulness, but at times like these he missed them a lot and felt jealous of the other kids who would be picked up again later._

 _However, there was still Sasuke, the only boy he so far shared any kind of bond with and some part of him didn't want to give up on getting the raven's attention. He wanted to challenge him, surpass him if need be and be acknowledged by him and later by all the kids in his class._

 _Iruka-sensei cleared his throat as soon as the last parent had left the room. "Okay guys, so far so good. Before I give you a tour through the school, I want us all to get to know each other. I'll call each of you up and you will tell your classmates something about you. Your name, age, hobbies, things you like, your pets – whatever comes to your mind", he explained smiling warmly at the bunch of small children in front of him._

 _Naruto nodded in excitement. He loved such games and wanted to make an impression on his classmates right away and talk to all of them later during their lunch break. Maybe he could even hang out with some of them after school and play videogames or watch silly shows on TV. Those were the things he secretly dreamed about doing because he never got to do them at his own home. Usually his foster mum would occupy the couch the whole day and watch TV and well… they just couldn't afford a PS3 or X Box 360…_

" _Good, let's start with myself than", Iruka-sensei continued leaning against his desk in front of the class. "As I already said, my name is Umino Iruka, I'm 23 years old and yours is the first class I'm responsible for. I hope we'll all get along very well with each other", he smiled again, before picking up a list from his desk. "So, let's see who of you will continue… Ah! Aburame Shino! Please stand up, and tell us something about you"._

 _A few seats to the front, a boy got up from his chair. He was a little taller than Naruto and wore a dark grey sweater with a collar so high it almost reached his nose. His eyes were hidden behind dark glasses and his dark brown hair was short and a little messy. To Naruto he seemed almost creepy, to be honest._

" _Hi, my name's Aburame Shino", the boy said in a monotonous voice. "I'm 6 years old and my family and I breed bugs. They're very useful and interesting animals. I spend a lot of time with them whenever I can"._

 _Ok, the guy gave Naruto the creeps. Who in their right mind breeds bugs? I mean, couldn't it be puppies or kittens? Something fluffy and cute? Even thinking of sharing a house with spiders, cockroaches and whatever else Shino considered a 'pet' made Naruto shiver in displeasure. Obviously he wasn't the only one who didn't share Shino's passion for creepy-crawlies, because several of his classmates looked a little disgusted. Too many fucking legs!_

 _Shino sat back down again and Iruka-sensei cleared his throat to get rid of the awkward atmosphere in the room, when he called up the next student, a small girl with dark hair whose name never caught Naruto's interest. You couldn't expect him to remember all his classmates' names on the first day, could you?_

 _However the girl, as well as the other children following her, was pleasantly normal compared to Shino, with normal hobbies like soccer or ballet and standard pets such as rabbits, cats or guinea pigs. With some of them he would get along very well, Naruto was sure of it._

" _Haruno Sakura", Iruka-sensei read out before a girl with pink hair and bright green eyes got up from her seat in the front row. The moment Naruto laid eyes on her; he knew she would be the mother of his children, or something like that. She was without question the prettiest girl he had ever seen in his life and felt instantly in love with her, because that is what always happens in the movies, right? The hero falls for the pretty girl and they end up married. So it was only natural that Naruto should fall for Sakura._

" _Hi everyone! My name's Haruno Sakura", she started, her voice sweet and easy to listen to. "I am six years old too. I don't have a pet unfortunately. I actually like karate and my big dream is to become a doctor one day!"._

 _By now Naruto was in absolute awe. Sakura was the girl of his dreams, pretty (even if her forehead was a little too wide), smart and she liked martial arts, which he also did. Not that he had ever had the chance to train in a real dojo but he had watched every episode of Dragonball and Dragonball Z at least thrice in his short life. The only thing he loved more than martial arts animes was ramen, the best dish in the world._

 _Iruka-sensei nodded happily, looking back down on the list of names in his hands. "Ok, the next one is Inuzuka Kiba"._

 _While Sakura sat back down, running her fingers over the polished wooden table, a boy behind her stood up and faced the class. To say he was special would be an understatement. Inuzuka Kiba was tall for his age, had unruly brown hair, tanned skin, and Naruto would have sworn that his canines were pointed and looked a little like fangs._

" _Hey guys", he said, waving at his fellow classmates with a wide grin on his face. "I'm Kiba, six years old and I spend most of my free time playing with my families' dogs! We breed them, you know? I don't have a dog of my own yet, but my mum says I can have one of the puppies when I'm older! My sister has one though, and I help her train him. I can't wait to get my own dog! I'll name him Akamaru! And when I'm all grown up I want to be veterinarian!"_

 _Okay, the guy was obsessed with dogs, but he looked like fun. Maybe Naruto would find the courage to ask him later if he wanted to hang out. Would be nice to visit his parents and their dogs, wouldn't it?_

 _As the constant stream of children, telling about their age, hobbies and families continued, Naruto's gaze fell back to Sasuke. The boy had not yet been called up. His head rested on his hands and he looked out of the window into the schoolyard wearing a bored expression. It wasn't until much later that Iruka read out "Uchiha Sasuke" and the boy's head shot up to look at his teacher. With a sigh he stood up and faced the class._

" _As Iruka-sensei read out, I'm Uchiha Sasuke. I'm seven years old and there aren't many things I like, but a whole lot of things I don't like, annoying people for example, and loud people. I don't have a dream for my future, because I'll work for my family's company, the UNB", his voice sounded so bored and annoyed that Naruto felt the urge to punch the guy, just to make his stoic expression disappear to be replaced by some kind of emotion, not matter which one._

 _Iruka furrowed his brows while watching Sasuke a bit surprised. Silence settled over the room, with the boys eyeing the Uchiha suspiciously and the girls ogling at him with big eyes, even Sakura. It felt like a challenge to Naruto, he felt the urge to be better than him, to gain more attention and make in fact even Uchiha Sasuke acknowledge him._

" _Last but not least, Uzumaki Naruto"_

 _Literally shooting up from his chair, Naruto faced his classmates. Bracing his hands on his hips in what he thought was a cool pose, he grinned at his fellow students. Yeah, he would indeed leave an impression on them no matter what. "Hey everyone! I'm Uzumaki Naruto! I'm six years old and I live with my mom and my older siblings. My favourite dish is ramen, because it's the best food in the whole wide world! My dream is to become the most famous martial arts fighter in Japan! So you better remember me!"_

" _As if, dobe", said a voice next to him and as Naruto turned around to face whom ever had dared to make fun of his dream, he stared directly into the pale face of Uchiha Sasuke. The guy wore a smirk on his lips and his onyx eyes were alight with mischief._

" _What did you just say, teme?"_

" _A said 'as if', it means 'I doubt it'"_

" _I know what it means", gritting his teeth Naruto tied to will down the urge to grab Sasuke by the collar and smash him into the nearest wall. He really didn't want to have to go the principal on his first day of school ever._

" _Okay boys, clam down. Both of you", Iruka intervened his voice suddenly harder than before. He had crossed both arms in front of his chest and looked disappointedly at both of them. "This is your first day and I will not have you two fight already, am I understood?"._

 _Both boys nodded in silence, neither of them wanted to get scolded before the year had even started._

" _Good. Now that this is settled, I want us to have a short tour through the school"._

* * *

 _Never had he thought that his optimism about school would shatter so fast, but three weeks into the term Naruto felt disillusioned. He had made an impression that first day – one of an idiot with fanciful dreams and a hot temper. Ever since, he had rubbed Sasuke up the wrong way at least once a day and they had had one fist fight already that had left him lying in the dirt with scratches and bruises. So much for being a martial arts fighter. It was frustrating on end._

 _Added to that, he had not made a single friend so far. He had of course talked to some of his class mates, even to Sakura but none of them had agreed to meet up after school and Sakura had not only given him the brush-off but had turned on the spot and asked Sasuke out, who in turn had turned her down. Not that it made things any better._

 _On his second day of school Naruto had made yet another embarrassing discovery. All his fellow classmates had money to buy lunch at noon. They would go the cafeteria, in small groups chatting all the while, to have their meal while Naruto would slip away to the roof and spent his lunch break in silence and away from everyone else so that he didn't have to watch them eat while he couldn't afford to buy anything._

 _And that was exactly what he was doing right now. Fortunately it was still late September and the temperatures had not yet dropt so much, so that Naruto could sit outside in the sun and make plans on how to change his situation. Indeed he hadn't given up yet, because that was just not like him. He would try and try again, no matter how often he failed._

 _He was just about to doze off, when he heard the door being opened. Scared it might be a teacher to scold him for coming to the roof, he sat up to see who had joined him in his refuge. A surprised "You!", escaped his lips as soon as his gaze fell upon the familiar features of none other than Uchiha Sasuke._

" _Yes, it's me, usuratonkachi", Sasuke said in a neutral tone, sitting down on the ground next to Naruto._

" _Why are you here?", the blonde boy asked still unable to hide his surprise. Sasuke was the last person Naruto expected to join him and so he felt suspicious about the guy. Maybe he was planning on starting a fight and get Naruto in trouble again._

 _Instead of answering however, Sasuke just shrugged and started to rummage about in his school bag, taking out two bento boxes. Naruto could feel his stomach rumble at the sight. Who brought two bento boxes all for himself? Great, just great! Now he had to find a new place to hide and avoid people eating in front of him, while he couldn't even bring something from home. With a sigh he got up and wanted to head for the door, when he felt cold fingers close around his wrist._

" _Stay", Sasuke said his voice a little softer than before. Naruto turned around to face him, anger boiling up inside of him. Who did the spoilt brat think he was?_

" _Why? So you can humiliate me? No, thanks. I'll go and find myself a new hiding spot"._

 _If anything, Sasuke's grip only got even harder and he pulled Naruto back almost forcefully. "You will do no such thing", he stated coolly._

" _And why would I do what you want me to, teme?", Naruto growled, trying to free his arm by twisting it in all kinds of angles ._

 _With his free hand Sasuke reached for one the bento boxes and offered it to Naruto. "Because I brought you lunch"._

 _Blinking in astonishment Naruto completely forgot to fight for the freedom of his wrist and just stared; first at Sasuke than at the offered box. He really didn't know what to say to this and so he sat back down and rubbed his sore wrist after it had been released. "Why?", he breathed out._

" _Because you have none. And my brother doesn't mind preparing lunch for an additional person", Sasuke explained as if it was nothing. But to Naruto it meant the world. Never before had anyone done anything like this for him. At home he had to fight for every bit of food; they were just too many children for too little money._

" _I know you come here every day to avoid watching the others eat", Sasuke stated, his gaze still locked on Naruto, who flushed at the statement._

" _Yeah, I do. Embarrassing, isn't it?", he answered feeling smaller by the second._

" _No it's not. But if you keep talking instead of eating, the break will be over before you've even tasted your food", smirking Sasuke opened his bento box and took his chopsticks out._

" _Oh yeah! Thank you, by the way. It's really nice of you", Naruto said, now opening the box Sasuke had handed him earlier. Inside he found a pair of chopsticks, rice, grilled fish, cucumber, avocado, tomatoes and soya bean sprouts as well as soya sauce. It all looked fresh and delicious. Ramen might be his favourite dish, but Naruto would never turn down any kind of food. With a happy smile he dug into his lunch, filling the never ending pit he called a stomach._

" _This was sooooo good! You will tell your brother I liked this, won't you?", Naruto chirped ten minutes later, leaning back against the small wall that should prevent students from falling of the roof._

 _Sasuke gave a barely visible, small nod, accompanied by his typical 'Hn'._

 _Usually Naruto would feel insulted by the small word that seemed to be Sasuke's favourite reply to almost everything, but today something was different and Naruto found himself smiling instead of fuming._

" _You know what?", the blonde boy started, staring at the sky but still sure that Sasuke would listen. "I really thought you were some kind of asshole after our first day, but maybe you're not so bad"._

 _Sasuke chuckled in a low voice, crossing his arms behind his head as he lay down on the hard floor. "You're not so bad yourself", he said, dark eyes locked on an unaware Naruto._

" _Thanks, teme. By the way, what's your brother's name?", ever since that first day Naruto had wondered about Sasuke's brother. The older boy had seemed so clam and contempt, yet warm and friendly; so unlike his little brother._

" _Why do you care?", Sasuke asked back. A frown had formed on his forehead and he sat up a little, leaning on his elbows._

" _I donno. He looked nice", Naruto admitted with an apologetic smile. Being nosey usually wasn't like him, but for some unknown reason he wanted to know more about Sasuke._

" _Well, why don't you ask him yourself when you come and visit me?"_

* * *

Rubbing his eyes Naruto tried to get rid of the memories which had haunted him last night. Back at the time he had been really happy and Sasuke's friendship had been his most important bond; a bond that had transformed into love years later. They hadn't stopped fighting after that day, but no matter what happened between them, they could always be sure of their friendship; their unbreakable bond.

From that day on Sasuke had been his best friend and he and Itachi had made sure Naruto had lunch every day. A year or so later, Sasuke had been the one to sign the both of them up at a nearby dojo, so Naruto could finally start to pursue his dream and the best part of it had been that Sasuke was there to train with him. Together it seemed they could achieve anything, even make Naruto a famous martial arts fighter.

Well, he wasn't famous yet, but to be honest, other thing had become more important to Naruto over the years and instead of fighting in some martial arts movie, the former orphan boy had opened his own dojo, were he and Gaara trained children in several fighting styles. They were also part of a special government subsidized program that would allow children from lower-income families to train in their dojo with Naruto and Gaara being paid by the state of Japan. And by now their dojo was at least the most famous in Konoha, which was more than Naruto could have ever hoped for. He didn't have to worry about money anymore, at least not the way he used to during college.

However, none of this would have ever been possible if it hadn't been for Sasuke and no matter what had happened, Naruto would be forever grateful to boy who had reached out to him that day on the roof.

* * *

 **To be continued…**

 **So that's it. I hope it was any good. I wanted to pick up the theme of Sasuke and Naruto sharing their lunch in a situation where Naruto is really desperate for food, I just left Sakura out, for obvious reasons. But she will be in this story and, as you've already seen in chapter one, is very important to Naruto.**

 **The next flashback will be from Sasuke's point of view and takes place some years later. So stay tuned!**


	4. The Special in the Usual

**Hi everyone!**

 **First of all I want to thank all you wonderful people out there who reviewed, favorited or followed this story at such an early stage. You all are amazing! You inspire me to keep writing every day! Please go on and let me know what you think about this story.**

 **So, I finished chapter 7 a lot faster than expected and now had to choose if I wanted to have larger gap between the chapters written and the ones posted or if I wanted to upload this one in advance – have a guess how I decided!**

 **Yeah, here it is, chapter 4. The second flashback chapter and this time written from Sasuke's perspective. I want to say a few words about the first scene. It wasn't originally planned to be there, but just as some of you already mentioned, Mikoto appears like a puppet in chapter 2 and this scene was my attempt to show that she does have an opinion of her own. She's just the perfect wife for Fugaku.**

 **Okay enough words from me! Enjoy reading!**

* * *

 **Chapter 4 The Special in the Usual**

At 5:30 the next morning Sasuke stood in front of his mirror adjusting the last stray strands of dark hair, but otherwise ready to leave for his 7:45 flight to Konoha. Last night had been literally a nightmare. He had dreamed of Naruto's blue eyes. Those eyes had watched him almost his entire life and just like that they were gone from one day to the next, leaving Sasuke with nothing but the memory of those two brilliant orbs which used to watch so warmly. Shuddering he buried his face in his hands. Was he really doing the right thing?

Shaking his head to get rid of his lingering doubts, he splashed some water on his face and left the bathroom, only to find his phone buzzing on the sideboard in his hallway, showing his mother's name on the screen. With a heavy sigh he took the phone and pressed the receive button.

"Good morning, mother. Why do you call this early?", he said into the speaker.  
"Sasuke…", Mikoto's voice was low and caring. "Itachi told me you would leave for a business trip very early today, but I wanted to talk to you before you're on the plane".  
"About what exactly?", Sasuke asked a little suspicious. His mother rarely called him and if she did, it was mostly for the sake of some family gathering she knew he wouldn't attend. However, she never failed to try to get him to come.  
"About Karin, actually. You seemed troubled yesterday, but I couldn't talk to you about it. Are you really fine with marrying her?". Never before had Mikoto asked about his opinion on a matter his father had already decided. What had happened to make her act so unusually?  
"Mother, I agreed to do it, didn't I?", Sasuke replied evasively, not really willing to discuss his feelings about marrying Karin with her.  
"I know you did. But I also know how obedient you can be when Fugaku asks something of you. I only want you to be happy, Sasuke, and yesterday you acted like a doomed man", Mikoto insisted, surprising her son with her concern for him. Would she want him to oppose his father and tell him no? To be honest, Sasuke wanted to that very much. Even if he could not be with Naruto, he wanted to remain his husband until the day the other man asked for a divorce. But he also knew the consequences of defying his father and that was a risk he couldn't take, not for his own sake and not for Naruto's.

"Please mother, I know what I agreed to and it is fine. I'll be leaving for the airport now and when I return we'll talk about the details of the wedding", Sasuke said as confident as he could. The last thing he needed was his mother, making things harder than they already were.  
"As you wish, dear. Call me, when you're home, okay?", she sounded somewhat defeated and Sasuke felt a little guilty for not confiding into his mother. However, he had never been a person who easily shared his burdens with others and the only person who had gotten through to him so far had been Naruto. The exact same Naruto he was now going to shut out of his life forever.  
"Yeah, I will. See you soon", he replied, ending the call faster than needed, but every word his mother spoke made him question his decision even further and he couldn't afford such a weakness.

XXX

At precisely 7: 56 Sasuke's flight to Konoha took off with a delay of about ten minutes, which was not that much, considering the awfully long delays Sasuke had already experienced on his many business trips. Also it was a rather short flight, taking barley more than an hour in a small plane for inter-Japanese routes. He hated sitting in a plane without much space for his feet and the stewardesses' constant babbling and thus dreaded business trips to other countries.

Today tough it was neither a stewardess nor the lack of space that made his already bad mood even worse, it was the woman next to him. Despite the short trip Sasuke had booked a business class seat (for more space and less babbling) but that didn't protect him from annoying seatmates. In Sasuke's case that seatmate was a young woman about his age with light brown hair and warm green eyes, who had, like so many before her, taken a liking to him and was now determined to flirt with him. In an attempt to prevent himself from murdering her right there on a plane Sasuke tried to tune her out after a few minutes of her constantly talking about how horrible the break-up with her last boyfriend had been and how much she now needed a strong shoulder to lean on. But despite his efforts not to hear her, some of her words got through to him every now and then, especially as she came to the topic of still believing in 'love at first sight'.

Sasuke had never given much thought to such a phenomenon, because for him love didn't come that easily and as she talked about chemistry and 'just knowing he's the right one', Sasuke's mind drifted off to his own feelings. He definitely wasn't a 'head over heels' type of guy, but he _knew_ love. The kind that started slowly and build over time, growing into a bond you can no longer deny no matter how hard you try. The first and last time Sasuke had fallen in love had taken him years and even after it had happened, he had needed months to realize it and then again over a year before he had finally acted on it. Tuning his seatmate out again, Sasuke remembered the exact day he had finally realized what his feelings for his best friend Naruto really were.

* * *

 _It's October again. The temperatures had been falling for the past weeks already and soon there would be storms and rain and one would need thick clothes to keep warm – in short, October promised all the things Sasuke couldn't stand. However, he had grown to love the month of October. Not because of the bad weather but for the sake of a person. Every year on 10_ _th_ _of October Naruto celebrated his birthday._

 _They were in Middle School now, but not much had changed since their first meeting in Elementary School, at least on the outside. Eight years later Sasuke still lived with his brother Itachi, who would soon finish his university education with magna cum laude and then finally move to Tokyo and Naruto had stayed in the foster system, being handed from one foster family to the next like some old toy no one hold interest in anymore. It had only been due to Itachi's constant interference that Naruto hadn't been transferred into a family out of Sasuke's reach._

 _Well, it seemed some things had changed since their days on the school roof. They had become inseparable. Neither of them had been great in making additional friends, even if all the girls practically threw themselves at Sasuke's feet, but neither of them cared about friends and girls anymore. Even so Naruto always tried to invite some of their classmates over for his birthday, which happened to be today. And just like every year all their classmates had declined his invitation, so in the end Naruto's birthday party had been transferred to the Uchiha household._

 _That was exactly what happened every time Naruto planed a party to celebrate his birthday – he would end up at Sasuke's house, spending the day with his best friend and Itachi. Sasuke knew Itachi didn't mind having Naruto over, actually he was rather fond of the energetic blond who had gotten his little brother to come out of his shell. That's why Itachi would have done anything to make the boy enjoy his special day._

 _Usually Naruto would come over to their house at noon and they'd go to the cinema, or ice skating or do anything else Naruto was up for that he normally couldn't afford. Later they'd get back home to give Naruto his presents and a cake Itachi prepared for him. Although Sasuke didn't like sweets, he'd have at least one slice, just to make Naruto happy. Together they'd gather in front of the TV then and watch some movies until it was time for dinner, which they always prepared together, all three of them occupying the kitchen, making fun of each other's cooking skills. After dinner Itachi would always claim to have to do some studying but Naruto and Sasuke both knew he only wanted to give them some time together without making it awkward. This 'quality time' as Naruto mockingly called it, was usually spent in Sasuke's room with the two of them playing video games in the PS3.  
Naruto loved to play against Sasuke, even if he lost more matches than he won due to his lack of practice. Best friends or not, they were still rivals.  
The gaming session had so far ended every year with Naruto falling asleep on the bedroom floor or Sasuke's bed, so he had to stay the night._

 _Sasuke assumed it would be the same this year._

 _At 11:45 he took his seat on the window sill in the living room to have the best view on their driveway, waiting for Naruto so they could celebrate his 14_ _th_ _birthday. Itachi was currently occupied in the kitchen, trying to get the frosting on the cake ready before Naruto arrived. Sasuke had offered to help, but Itachi had been determined to do it on his own. How hard could frosting a cake be anyway?_

 _Leaning his head against the cold window, Sasuke remembered his last birthday, when Naruto had been the one to surprise him with a handmade cake and frosting in the shape of little tomatoes on top. He had told Sasuke that a cake is obligatory on one's birthday, but that he also knew Sasuke preferred tomatoes over sweet stuff, and this way he had been able to combine both. Something about the sweet gesture had made Sasuke's heart flatter with excitement and ever since that strange feeling in his chest had occurred whenever Naruto was close to him, which meant daily because the blond boy could be quite physical and loved to hug Sasuke, or place his head on Sasuke's shoulder._

" _Where does the rare smile come from?", Itachi asked, standing in the doorway, the sleeves of his shirt rolled up and his hair a little dishevelled.  
Sasuke shook his head. "It's nothing. Just been thinking", he said in a dismissive voice. The downside of Itachi caring so much for him was that his brother tended to be a bit nosey from time to time and Sasuke valued his privacy. _

" _I wonder what about", Itachi mused with a small smirk on his lips. He had of course noticed his brother's changing behaviour in the past months and he had his suspicions about the reasons. Ever since his 14_ _th_ _birthday Sasuke had acted a little differently around a certain blond friend of his and he had spent weeks to prepare the perfect celebration for Naruto._

 _The boy had never been able to go to the aquarium because none of his foster parents could afford it. Hence, Sasuke had spent the last weeks on the phone with the manager of the local aquarium to organize a dolphin show for Naruto during which he would be allowed to join the animals in the water and pet them. Not being too much of an animal person, Sasuke didn't mind not joining his best friend in the water, but for Naruto it should be the perfect day._

 _Ten minutes later Sasuke spotted a mop of blond hair down on the driveway walking up to their house. Clad in black trousers and an orange sweater Naruto looked like an offense against good taste, but Sasuke had long since given up on lecturing his best friend about his choice of colour. Naruto simply loved orange and that was that._

 _Dark orbs followed the younger boy as he made his way to their door, disappearing from view as he got closer to the house and the angle got too sharp to watch him anymore. Seconds later the doorbell rang and Sasuke could feel his heartbeat quicken with excitement. Why was it so damn important to him that Naruto got his perfect birthday?_

 _Sensing Sasuke's inner struggle, Itachi went to get the door and greeted a, with energy almost bouncing, Naruto.  
"Hey, Itachi nii-chan!", he said with a wide grin, stepping over the threshold and taking off his shoes.  
"Hello, Naruto. Happy Birthday", Itachi greeted with a calm smile, taking a step out of the way to let Naruto go through to the living room. "Sasuke's already waiting for you. We'll be leaving in fifteen minutes".  
Naruto nodded happily and walked into the living room, where Sasuke still sat on the window sill, determined not to let Naruto know that something about their relationship had changed since Sasuke's birthday, even if he didn't know what exactly. _

" _Sasuke! Stop looking so grumpy! We'll have loooooots of fun today!", Naruto chirped, wrapping his arms around Sasuke's shoulders in a friendly hug. Usually Sasuke wasn't the type for physical contact, but Naruto had always enjoyed stepping into his personal space to be close to him, and at some point Sasuke had given up on pushing him away. And right now his heart skipped a heat, when he felt the strong arms warp around his body.  
He rolled his eyes in an attempt to seem annoyed by Naruto's display of affection and his exuberant personality, while in reality his best friend's warmth felt like an own personal sun._

" _Hn", he said, supressing a smile that threatened to appear on his lips.  
"Oi, teme! Don't be a poor sport!", Naruto exclaimed, detangling himself from Sasuke.  
"I'm not, dobe. I'm just not as overly excited as you are", Sasuke clarified with a smirk on his lips. It was always like this between them – Naruto, full of energy, bouncing up and down and Sasuke, unagitated, often shoving his hands into his pockets. "Happy Birthday, by the way", he added in a whisper, but no matter how low his voice, Naruto had heard him and showed a grin from one ear to the other, throwing his arms around the older boy once more.  
"Aahhhhh, thanks Sasuke!", he chirped again. "Now, tell me: Where are we gonna go today? The beach? Laser tag? Paint ball?".  
Sasuke sighed and shook his head at Naruto's eagerness. "It's a surprise, you know? So I'm not gonna tell you"  
"Sasukeeeeee, pleeeeeeease! Just give me a hint!"  
"Not gonna happen. Now let go of me, dobe. I need to get ready", pushing Naruto off him, Sasuke went upstairs to fetch his jacket with his best friend following his every step. "What are you? My lap dog?", he asked a little annoyed. _

_Naruto pouted and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "It's my birthday, and you're my best friend; you oughta give me a hint", he mumbled.  
Instead of answering, Sasuke rolled his eyes again and left the room. He had put too much effort in planning the perfect birthday for Naruto and wouldn't spoil it by telling the moron where they were going beforehand. _

_Itachi was already waiting silently for them by the door, car keys in hand. He looked as unreadable as always and left Sasuke to wonder what his older brother was thinking sometimes – at times like these. When he knew Sasuke had done everything to make Naruto's birthday perfect, but would never admit that and act all cool and aloof. But Itachi was bound to know it was all just an act and Sasuke really cared about Naruto. However, he never said a word to his little brother indicating that he knew._

" _Itachi nii-chan! Sasuke won't tell me where we're going today!", Naruto whined while putting his shoes back on. Itachi arched an eyebrow and looked at the blond boy in amusement. "Well, it's a surprise after all, isn't it? Telling you would spoil the fun", he explained calmly, opening the door to let both Sasuke and Naruto lead the way. Sasuke smirked at Naruto winningly as the blond followed him to the car._

 _As always when the three of them were on a trip, Sasuke sat next to Naruto on the rear bench seat. It was only natural for them to sit together in the back while Itachi drove. It had been like that when they were still in Elementary School and even though they now were allowed to sit in the front, they preferred to be together._

 _Half an hour later they stopped in front of the Konoha Aquarium, with Naruto all but glued to the car window in excitement.  
As the car came to a hold, he turned around to Sasuke and looked at him with big blue eyes full of joy. "We're going to the aquarium?", he exclaimed, flinging his arms around Sasuke's neck. "You're the best friend in the world".  
Itachi chuckled in the front as he got out of the car, watching in amusement how his little brother tried to stop Naruto from strangling him.  
"Yeah, thanks, dobe. Now stop being clingy", Sasuke said, his heart beating so loudly in his chest, he feared Naruto might hear it. But instead of saying anything, Naruto tightened his hold on Sasuke for another second before he let go of him and got out of the car._

 _Inside the aquarium the trio was greeted by defuse pale blue light and shimmering grounds, creating an underwater atmosphere. The walls were laden with information boards about all kinds of maritime flora and fauna and several children gaped at the drawings of exotic fish and brilliantly coloured corals, decoration the gaps between the boards. Naruto's eyes were sparkling with anticipation as he looked around and took in the first impression of his birthday surprise._

 _Meanwhile, Sasuke made his way to the front desk, where a middle aged woman in a dark blue blazer sat. She looked at him with a slightly bored expression. Not that Sasuke could hold it against her; he would probably go mad if he had to work at a place like this – screaming kids, overly excited parents and noisy school classes were the stuff his nightmares were made of._

" _Can I help you?", the woman, Ueda-san her name tag said, asked, trying to sound a little more cheerful than she actually looked.  
"Hi, my name's Uchiha Sasuke. I called your manager a few days ago and arranged a special tour for my friend Uzumaki-san", Sasuke said in his business voice, the one his parents had made sure he learned early in life.  
"Ah, yes. Uchiha-san, Fujimura-san already informed us, you'd be visiting today. First of all you'll have a tour through our aquarium, you can choose if you want to do it by yourselves or require a tour guide. And afterwards you'll enter our open-air enclosure where you'll have your private dolphin show", she informed him.  
Sasuke nodded in content. "Thank you, Ueda-san. We'll do the tour by ourselves, no guide needed".  
"As you wish, Uchiha-san", the woman replied handing him the three tickets. "Have a nice day".  
"Thanks, you too"_

 _Jittery with excitement Naruto took his ticket from Sasuke. "Thanks, mate! This is gonna be so great!", he said blushing a little.  
_ You have no idea… _Sasuke thought because he had made sure that Naruto wouldn't overhear his conversation with Ueda-san and hence didn't know about their personal special after the tour._

 _Two hours and more kinds of fish, corals, and sea life in general than you can count later, the three of them finally stepped into the open, entering the pool area where the dolphins were kept. So far every room they'd been in had left Naruto in awe, amazed by the many colours and different forms maritime life could take._

 _Instead of walls and ceilings they'd seen large tanks filled with hundreds of fish, some of them swimming so close to the glass that you could almost touch them. The day had already been a success and the best was yet to come. Naruto still hadn't figured out what was awaiting him and Sasuke couldn't wait to see his best friend's face once it dawned on him. Once they emerged from the dimly lit aquarium halls, blinking against a suddenly too bright sun, they were greeted by two young employees, marine biologists most likely, clad in dark blue wetsuits._

" _Hey guys! You must be Uzumaki Naruto. I'm Ichikawa Kenzo and my colleague here is Ogata Ran", one of the two said, bowing before Naruto, who looked like someone had just asked him to pet a shark.  
"Hi…", he said hesitantly, seeking Sasuke's eyes for an explanation of what was going on, as he returned the bow.  
The second employee, the girl named Ran, took a step forward and smiled at him. "We already prepared everything. You can have one of our wetsuits and change while Kenzo-kun and I will let the dolphins out", she explained.  
"Wetsuit? Dolphins?", Naruto stammered, still clueless about what was going on._

 _Sasuke sighed and put a hand on his best friend's shoulder. "This is my real birthday present. You'll get to swim with the dolphins. I know it's cheesy and probably girly, but I thought it would be something no one else will give you. I wanted it to be special", he tried to clarify things, watching in delight as Naruto's eyes widened with every word he said.  
"Really? Thank you, Sasuke! I could kiss you!", Naruto exclaimed, eyes bright with happiness.  
"I'd prefer you didn't", Sasuke answered, not too sure if he really meant it. _

_Naruto grinned at him before turning back to Kenzo and Ran, the latter of the two handing him a wetsuit. "You get changed, we'll take care of the rest", she said, leaving Naruto and the two Uchihas to themselves._

" _I still can't believe it! Best birthday ever!",  
"Hn. Now get changed, dobe"  
Naruto smiled again, tilting his head a little, as he pulled his sweater over his head and soon stepped out of his pants, revealing tanned, sun kissed skin and a slender body, not yet toned, for he was still too young, but already foreshadowing what he would look like once he developed a man's body. Mesmerized by the view Naruto offered, Sasuke found himself unable to avert his gaze and he kept staring at his best friend, feeling blood rush downwards through his veins at the sight. _

_A few minutes later Naruto had put on the wetsuit with Sasuke helping to close the zipper on the back and was now climbing down the ladder into the pool, where Kenzo and Ran were already waiting for him with two silver grey swimming companions who made funny gurgling sounds._

" _He'll never forget this day", Itachi said calmly as the two brothers took seats next to each other on a bench close to the pool.  
"I hope so", Sasuke replied without taking his eyes off the blond boy who hesitantly rubbed a dolphin's nose with his right hand and grinned like an idiot.  
"Who would have thought that my feisty little brother is capable of being so nice to someone? You usually hate other people", Itachi stated and Sasuke could feel his brothers gaze on him.  
"Shut up, Itachi"_

 _A low chuckle made Sasuke finally turn his head towards the man next to him. Itachi's forarms were resting on his thighs and loose black locks fell into his eyes. "You really need to figure out what he means to you, Otouto.  
Sasuke narrowed his eyes at him. He didn't need Itachi sticking his nose into Sasuke's business when he didn't want him there. Yet he couldn't deny the truth in Itachi's words. _

_He had to figure out what this strange feeling was and why he had gone to such lengths to plan the perfect birthday. Usually Sasuke didn't care about other people and the only person he had ever been close to before had been Itachi, even if they grew more and more apart as they got older. Naruto however had made in impression that first day in Elementary School and Sasuke had felt drawn to him ever since. He cared for the blond moron and wanted him to be happy, but those new feelings scared him, because he didn't understand them yet. Didn't change the fact that he wanted Naruto to enjoy this day though._

 _With a smile on his face he looked back to Naruto who by now had his hand stroking the flank of a dolphin while the other was performing tricks with the two trainers, makeing the blond boy once again stare in awe._

* * *

" _Wow Sasuke! That was an amazing day! I had sooooo much fun! You should've joined me in the pool!", Naruto said breathing deeply as he fell backwards onto Sasuke's bed after a long day of celebrating. Not only the trip to the aquarium had been great, but also the cake and the sheer tons of ramen they'd had for dinner._

" _Hn"  
"Really, you need to improve your vocabulary, teme. 'Hn' can't be found in a dictionary, you know?", Naruto remarked still grinning and leaning on his elbows to support his weight.  
"Look who's talking, dobe. You're no linguist either", Sasuke retorted as he slumped onto the bed. "So, are you in for a few rounds of Tekken to get your ass beaten?"._

 _Almost a little too eager Naruto got up from his lying position on the mattress and reached for one of the controllers while Sasuke turned on the TV and PlayStation. For a brief moment Sasuke considered letting Naruto win this time, but his pride got the better of him and he decided to play fair, even that meant Naruto would get his ass beaten as always._

" _I'll beat you this time, teme!", he said enthusiastically, switching between the many different characters on the screen without picking one.  
"Of course you will", Sasuke choose his avatar within seconds, now waiting the other boy who ran a hand through his messy blond locks, bright ocean blue eyes locked on the TV, frowning because he couldn't decide which character to use.  
"Just press the random button. I don't want to wait all night"  
"Shut up, teme! This is an important decision. More strength or more speed… hmm…"  
"It doesn't matter. All you do is button smashing anyway", Sasuke smirked at him. He had never been able to resist the urge to tease Naruto.  
"You'll pay for that!", the blond boy said, finally choosing a character._

 _The first match was a short one and Naruto's avatar quickly defeated, which left him pouting. But Sasuke knew about Naruto's persistence and was already prepared for a series of rematches and soon they were leaning against each other, throwing well meant insults at the other while their avatars fought on the screen._

 _Those were the moments Sasuke cherished the most, when they could completely relax around each other and laugh about their performance in something as trivial as a video game. He enjoyed Naruto's carefreeness and the touch of his skin, the feeling of familiarity, as he half lay on Sasuke's lap with those sparkling eyes looking up at him – just like right now. Sasuke's heart skipped a beat when he looked down at Naruto, who seemed to get tired, the day taking its toll. And for the first time in his life Sasuke felt the urge to kiss another person._

 _While Naruto slowly drifted off to sleep in his lap, all Sasuke wanted to do was lean down and kiss his soft looking lips. He wanted to know what they would feel like against his and if Naruto would taste as good as he smelled.  
And that was when realization hit him like a brick wall to the face. _

I'm in love with him.

* * *

"Yeah, well, and that's why I still believe that you can fall for someone at first sight. It's just like magic", the girl in the seat next to Sasuke chatted happily, bringing him back to reality so abruptly it almost hurt. A sigh escaped his lips. That day more than ten years ago had been planned as a perfect day for Naruto, but in the end it had been Sasuke who was still unable to forget his, at the time, best friend's fourteenth birthday – the day he had realized he was in love with him.

They hadn't gotten together until more than a year later, but from that day on Sasuke had been determined to make Naruto his. And had succeeded.  
Yet, he would land in Konoha in a few minutes with the purpose of severing this one important bond and it made his heart ache. Twelve years ago he would have done anything to make Naruto his, never once thinking there would come a time when the two of them would be separated at his own free will. It hurt like a bitch.

"Sir?", the girl said, leaning a bit too close to Sasuke for his taste, pressing her boobs against his upper arm as if that would change anything about the fact that he just didn't swing that way. But how would she know?  
"Sorry, I don't believe in love at first sight and such nonsense. Now, would you please stop bothering me? Because no, I'm certainly not your prince charming, in fact I don't do women", he said, his voice harder than intended but he blamed her for triggering his flashback with her stupid babbling about true love. He had boarded this flight to do the right thing and right now his decision swayed with every passing moment. He knew he wasn't ready to face Naruto right away. Frist he would go to his hotel, check in and afterwards he'd visit the only person from Konoha he'd had infrequently talked to over the past five years of his absence.

The girl let go of his arm as if he had burned her with his touch and looked at him with angry eyes. "No need to be so rude, asshole", she said, leaning away from him with her arms crossed in front of her chest. Sasuke shook his head and was about to reply to her ill-mannered behaviour when the voice of a stewardess announced their imminent landing and asked all passengers to fasten their seatbelts. Deeming it unnecessary to start an argument with his seat mate, Sasuke looked out of the window onto the runway, the memories of that day so many years ago still fresh in his mind.

A few minutes later the plane touched the ground and Sasuke could spot the familiar outlines of the town he had grown up in on the horizon. After five years of running from his past in order to protect what he really loved, he was back in Konoha.

He felt sick.

* * *

To be continued…

 **Finished! I hope you liked it! Next chapter things will get a lot juicer, I promise! We'll see when and how they got together. I'm really looking forward to that chapter!**

 **Thank you for reading! Stay tuned!**


	5. The New in the Old

**Well… this is again a ridiculously fast update, but I'll be at Leipzig book fair for the next week and I don't know if there will be time for me to write, so I decided to write chapter eight (which had me in tears btw v.v) today. And according to my three chapters rule, I'll give you chapter five! As I said things are getting more heated now :P not yet smut but… smutty nonetheless :P But they are still really young in this scene and not experienced. Please keep that in mind. All later smuts will be... different from this one. I hope you'll enjoy it!**

 **What else is there to say? I really like Hinata XD I just don't want her as Naruto's girlfriend/wife. She'll end up happy with Kiba. Okay, that's it! Have fun with the chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, if I did, the ending would've been quite different *g* All characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.**

* * *

 **Chapter 5 The New in the Old**

It was past noon already when Naruto woke up again, his headache having eased a bit but not yet being completely gone. He ran a hand over his face and rubbed his tearing eyes. The nightmares hadn't returned this time and he had gotten a little rest during the few hours he had slept again. That didn't mean he felt good, but he was at least sure he'd be able to keep down solid food if he decided to eat something. Leaning against the headboard he ran a hand through his hair and sighed. Luckily today was a Sunday and he hadn't go to work, Gaara would surely have skinned him alive if had left him alone with their martial arts students after getting drunk the previous night.

Never had he expected their small dojo to be such a success by the time Gaara had persuaded him to take on students four years ago, shortly after Naruto had finished college, but by now they had several classes for each age group, to train their students in different fighting skills. Naruto's fighting style had always been more forward and active, sometimes almost reckless, while Gaara tented to be restrained, waiting for his opponent to make a mistake or get tired. The only one they missed in their team was a trainer skilled with weapons.

The only person Naruto could think of, who was excellent in handling weapons, was Sasuke. He remembered vividly how skilled and fast his husband was with a katana. He had seen him spar many times during their teen age days when Sasuke had perfected the traditional Japanese sword. Itachi had even bought a real one for Sasuke's sixteenth birthday. They had been the perfect team. Naruto, more physical, had drawn all the attention to himself, while Sasuke remained in the background, waiting for an opportunity to strike. With Gaara things worked pretty well too, but it never felt the same. No matter how much he liked the man, he would never be Sasuke.

Shaking his head to get rid of the thoughts, Naruto climbed out of bed, wavering between eating a late breakfast and taking a shower first. In the end his wish to feel clean again, especially after losing what little content his stomach had had this morning, won over his appetite. His legs still a little shaky, he walked over to the wardrobe and took out the most comfy clothes he owned, soft sweatpants and a large orange shirt, before he stepped into the bathroom.

Naruto turned the shower on and then brushed his teeth again because his mouth still tasted like… well… not so nice. Soon the room was filled with warm steam and Naruto stepped under the hot water, feeling his muscles relax on contact. A hot shower always did miracles to his hungover body and it didn't take long for him to feel vastly better. In his late teens, on the seldom occasions he had been drunk, Sasuke had always joined him in the shower on the next morning, massaging his sore muscles and scalp to rid him of his headache. Well, and then he'd pressed him against the cold tiles and fucked him until his body was so spent that he didn't have the energy to hurt. Naruto missed those days.

He really shouldn't have gone to that wedding; all he could think about this morning was Sasuke and while many of his memories were actually very pleasant, they also left him hurting because they were just that – memories. Seeing Kiba and Hinata so happy had opened all the wounds he'd tried to forget ever since he'd realized that Sasuke had just left and didn't give a fuck about Naruto. For the first time in what felt like ages he really was angry at his husband. So far the most prominent feeling had been sadness, but after five years without so much as word from him, sadness slowly turned into anger. He would gladly give him a piece of his mind, but the bastard had even changed his phone number.

 _Asshole_ … Naruto thought as he got out of the shower and reached for a towel to dry off. He would really be glad when the weekend was over and he could forget about all that shit. He was looking forward to getting back into his dojo and maybe spar with Gaara to get his mind off the things which bothered him. That had always been the best way for him to deal with pain. Whenever he had felt bad as a teenager, he had gone to the martial arts school where he and Sasuke had trained at the time, spared with his master, a man named Jiraiya, who had been more of a father to him than any of the foster fathers he had over time. Unfortunately the man had died a few years ago.

Finally dressed Naruto stepped into the kitchen to have his breakfast… lunch… whatever, he stomach wanted to be filled and he couldn't care less what the meal would be called, he just wanted to get rid of the hollow feeling. Besides he could take another handful of painkillers after he had eaten something and the prospect of getting rid of his still lingering headache definitely helped with his decision to skip actual cooking in favour of a nice hot cup of instant ramen. He turned on the electric kettle and took some miso ramen from his endless stock of cup ramen in the kitchen cabinet.

Waiting for the water to boil, he was just about to sit down at the table when the doorbell rang. _Presumably Gaara_ , he thought on his way down the hallway. He might not remember everything from last night, but some part of his brain seemed quite sure that Gaara had announced his visit before leaving Naruto yesterday.

"Hey, thickhead, how are you feeling?", Gaara greeted as soon as Naruto opened the door. Clear green eyes looked at him impassively and the redhead's voice lacked almost all humour, but Naruto simply knew it was meant as a joke. Gaara just wasn't that good with emotions and social interaction after a childhood of constantly seeking for love without ever finding it, not even in his own father. Without Sasuke and Itachi Naruto would have ended the way Gaara had been when he'd first come to Konoha five years ago – hard, lost and almost stripped of humanity, but the friendship to Naruto and the acceptance his siblings had shown him, had changed the man and by now Gaara had become more social than ever.

"Well, my head still hurts, but otherwise I'm fine. Come in", Naruto answered, rubbing the back of his head as he stepped aside to let Gaara in. The other man arched one hairless brow before he stepped over the threshold and took off his jacket.  
"I brought you some painkillers, wasn't sure if you had some".  
"Thanks man, I'm running short on them to be honest", Naruto admitted, leading Gaara into the kitchen, where his instant ramen was still waiting for him. "I was just about to have… well... brunch or something like that. Want some ramen, too?"  
Gaara huffed. "No thanks. Other than you, normal people can't live solely on noodles".

Naruto shrugged and poured the by now hot water in the kettle into the cup with his favourite meal. He hated the five minutes wait until he could finally eat. Every time he had instant ramen he waited impatiently, glancing at his wristwatch so often, he could have sworn the time was running backwards.

"You sound like Sasuke", Naruto complained pouting, with his elbows on the table and his palms supporting his head, blue eyes defiant.  
"Like Sasuke? Well, I haven't heard that sentence in a long time. Did that stupid wedding get to your head?", Gaara asked. He had feared something like that would happen after last night and still blamed himself for not stopping his best friend.  
Naruto shrugged again, this time obviously uncomfortable with the turn the conversation took. "I might have a few memory issues", he admitted.  
"What do you mean?"  
"Well… whatever I do seems to be linked to some memory including Sasuke. Sleeping, showering, sparing… it doesn't matter what I do, or think about, everything triggers memories and I can't shut him out. I even dreamt of him last night".

Gaara leaned back in his chair with a sigh and watched his best friend, turning over his words again and again in his mind to find a solution for Naruto's problem, but the only way to deal with this resurfacing feelings he could think of, was rather painful. "Talk about it", he said after a while.  
"What?" Naruto exclaimed, looking up from stirring his ramen with his chopsticks.  
"Well, if you want to get rid of the nagging feelings, you should face them. Tell me about Sasuke. So far all I know about him is that he married you and then left. I only met him once or twice before he moved to Tokyo and afterwards you never talked about him, as if that would make it easier", Gaara explained, still absolutely calm.  
"Maybe you're right. Maybe… it will help me to get over this…"; Naruto looked up and ocean blue eyes met clear green ones full of determination. "What do you want to know?"

"How did the two of you get together?"

* * *

 _For the first time in his life Naruto stood in front of the mirror in Sasuke's bedroom, checking his outfit. So far he couldn't have cared less what he wore or looked like, but today was going to be special._

" _Stop that, dobe. You look fine", Sasuke said from somewhere on the bed. The dark haired bastard wasn't even interested in dressing up for the occasion, but Naruto also had to admit that his best friend looked good in everything he wore. Over the past years Sasuke had grown into the most handsome man Naruto had ever seen. Gone were the soft childlike features and sharp, delicate beauty had replaced them. Sasuke's skin was still pale and his eyes a pit of smouldering darkness, the soft raven bangs had grown a little longer and framed his stoic face. There was something aloof about him that drew Naruto in every time he looked at that face._

 _About a year ago he had realized that he preferred boys over girls, and of course he liked Sasuke in more than one way, but he would never risk his long cherished friendship and tell him about it. Too great was the risk that Sasuke liked girls and would be creeped out. So far neither of them had ever been in a relationship, even though Naruto had tried his best in convincing Sakura when he was still younger and yet unaware of his sexuality._

" _Not everyone is a natural beauty like you" he said with a snicker, still unsure if the stylish dark blue v-neck sweater Sasuke had lent him, really fit him. Today was New Year's Eve and the two of them were invited to Kiba's party. So far they had only spent New Year's with each other; the two of them sprawling on Sasuke's bed in front the TV for hours, before watching the fireworks at midnight. But this year everything would be different. Naruto had gotten closer to some of their classmates over the past year and being as inseparable as Sasuke and Naruto were, Kiba had of course invited them both. In less than an hour they would meet up with their classmates and celebrate the turn of the year with them._

" _Tch… Stop talking nonsense, dobe. Just because you're wearing a decent colour for once, doesn't mean you're any less attractive", Sasuke stated without looking up from the textbook he was reading in. Naruto knew that if it had been up to Sasuke they would have spent New Year's Eve as usual, but he didn't want to lose the newly formed bonds with his class mates at the first opportunity. However, Sasuke's words now startled him a little and he turned away from the mirror to face his best friend._

" _Attractive? What kind of a word choice is that?", he asked a little high pitched. His decision not to let Sasuke know about his little crush on him, didn't change the fact that he secretly wished for a sign that maybe his best friend was interested in guys after all. A man could still hope, couldn't he?_

" _Well, isn't that why we're going there in the first place? Kiba invited Sakura and everyone knows you have a crush on her since first grade", Sasuke replied sounding almost bored to someone who didn't know him as well as Naruto did. Beneath his indifferent tone, he hid something more; there was a sharp edge to his voice and Naruto didn't know where it came from and why it was there. All he knew was that for once in his life Sasuke was wrong._

" _Sorry to disappoint you, teme, but I got over that stupid crush more than a year ago. Sakura is all yours if you want her", Naruto answered sounding as easy-going as always, and his blue eyes were fixed on his best friend waiting for his reaction.  
Sasuke raised an eyebrow in response. "If I want her?", he repeated, finally putting the textbook away.  
"Yeah. I mean she obviously likes you and she's pretty and-"  
"Annoying", Sasuke finished for him and got off the bed to stand in front of Naruto; black eyes boring into blue. "Don't ever consider me going out with her again, do you understand?". Something dark was swirling in Sasuke's voice and Naruto couldn't stifle the shiver that ran down his spine as hot breath fanned over his cheek. Swallowing hard he simply nodded, not trusting his voice enough to actually answer.  
"Good", Sasuke turned away from him again and took his jacket out of his wardrobe before walking out of the room. "Are you coming or not?"._

 _Hurriedly Naruto followed after him, still confused by Sasuke's harsh reaction when it came to Sakura or the topic of girlfriends in general. The dark haired boy had never had one and also didn't seem to be interested in the other sex, but neither in the same. As a matter of fact Sasuke hadn't shown interested in anyone so far._

 _Fifteen minutes later they walked down the street side by side to reach Kiba's house, where they would celebrate the turn the of the year. Due to the many dogs his family bred, Kiba lived at the outskirts of Konoha, where neighbours didn't live close enough to be bothered by partying teenagers. Kiba's parents were out of town, visiting some relatives and his sister spent New Year's Eve with her own friends, which meant their little group had the whole house all to themselves and could even participate in the fireworks without someone telling them not to set things on fire. And unlike Sasuke, who looked like a drenched kitten, Naruto was really looking forward to this._

" _You know, everything would be more fun, if you just quit sulking", Naruto said with a smug expression on his face.  
"I'm doing this for you, dobe. Don't expect me to enjoy it", Sasuke answered without looking at him. He'd been in a more or less foul mood all day and Naruto really hoped that his best friend would magically suck it up and at least pretend to have some fun tonight, so their newly found friends wouldn't kick them out after only a few weeks of getting long.  
"Oh, teme, I get it. Listen, I'll make it up to you. I promise. Just try to be nice tonight"  
"Hn", was the only answer he got, but after knowing Sasuke for almost ten years by now, it was enough for Naruto. Sasuke would do his best, to enjoy the night, even if he only did it for his best friend and in return Naruto would do something Sasuke wanted, like not wearing anything orange for the next two weeks. _

* * *

_A few hours into the night they were sitting in Kiba's living room on the floor with an empty bottle in the middle, playing a mixture of Truth or Dare and Spin the Bottle, with the bottle currently pointing at Shino, who despite the cold weather and grey days, still wore his round sunglasses.  
"Truth or Dare?", Kiba asked, he had been the one to whom the bottle had pointed before.  
Shino sighed and shrugged, seeming a little bored. "Truth", he said indifferently.  
"Ha!", Kiba exclaimed with a winning grin. "Who was your first kiss?", he wanted to know, making everyone else groan at his uncreative question.  
"No one so far", Shino simply answered before reaching for the bottle and spinning it again._

 _Things had been like this for almost an hour and as excited as Naruto had been at first, he now started to get a little annoyed by the monotonous game. Most people choose 'truth' just to make sure they wouldn't have to do anything embarrassing. Naruto was currently seated between Huuyga Hinata and Naara Shikamaru, the latter of the two not only bored, but almost asleep already, claiming that the game was too troublesome to really participate. Sasuke sat across from Naruto with his arms crossed in front of his chest, but nonetheless choosing 'truth' whenever the bottle pointed to him, his mood getting worse by the minute and Naruto didn't really know why._

" _Naruto-kun…", a soft, shy voice to his left said, and Hinata gently tugged at his arm. She had been all around him the entire evening and Naruto just didn't know why she kept following him like a lost puppy. Usually he wasn't too popular with girls, especially when Sasuke was around, but he had given up on caring about them anyway. However, while Sakura kept making puppy eyes at Sasuke, asking him to go on a date with her, Naruto couldn't get rid of the dark haired girl with lilac eyes all of a sudden.  
"It's your turn…", she added shyly, a blush gracing her cheeks, as she spoke and then averted her gaze. _

" _Oh… yes… sorry", Naruto said, trying to focus on the game again, instead of Hinata's clingy behaviour. "Uhm… Dare". In Naruto's opinion the time had come to finally break the 'Truth-curse' and he sincerely hoped he wouldn't regret it later.  
Whatever Shino thought of his decision he never knew, but the guy spoke in the most monotonous voice Naruto had ever heard, as he said: "Kiss Hinata…" and added after he few seconds of shocked silence "…on the cheek"._

 _Swallowing hard, Naruto turned to the petite girl. Damn it! He should have chosen Truth instead of Dare… Hinata was blushing an even deeper red now, but there was the slightest hint of excitement in her beautiful eyes._

 _Naruto glanced at Sasuke, who looked like he was going to murder someone very soon. His shoulders were tense and jawline hard, as he pressed his teeth together; dark eyes locked on Hinata with a blazing gaze and suddenly Naruto felt all the more confused. What the hell was going on tonight? Why was Hinata suddenly so into him and why did Sasuke look as if he wanted to strangle her?_

 _Next to him the dark haired girl seemed to wait for him to take action, her face a mixture of embarrassment and anticipation. Naruto pressed his lips together before he leaned towards her, knowing that every pair of eyes in the room were glued to him. He could feel Sasuke's burning gaze on his skin and suddenly he wished he could kiss his best friend instead of Hinata. But that be as it may, he couldn't change his Dare and had to go through with it.  
Closing his eyes he closed the gap between his lips and Hinata's skin and pecked her on the cheek. The touch was so short, he wasn't quite sure it had really happened, but everyone else in the room looked pleased and Hinata seemed too close to fainting for Naruto's liking, meaning he had really just kissed her – at least a little. _

" _I'll get us fresh drinks, Naruto would you help me?", Sasuke suddenly said, breaking the awkward silence that had followed the kiss as he rose from the pillow he had been sitting on.  
"Sounds like the perfect idea!", Kiba agreed, handing Sasuke his empty bottle.  
"Yeah, I'll help you. Kiba, spin the bottle for me, man", Naruto said, getting up as well. He was glad for the excuse to leave the room and get away from Hinata without her having a reason to follow him. So far the bathroom had been the only room where she'd left him alone. It wasn't that he didn't like her or something; he just didn't want any drama tonight and with him not being into girls and her clinging to him the whole time, drama seemed inevitable. Even more so because he knew that a certain dog lover had a thing for her. _

_He followed Sasuke out of the room and into the kitchen, where Kiba had taken everything edible out of the fridge to make room for as much alcohol as it could hold. Well, who needs solid food anyway?_

 _Just when Naruto's hand closed around the knob to open the fridge, he could feel Sasuke's hand on his shoulder to stop him. It was rare for his best friend to touch someone and as much as he tolerated Naruto's clinginess, he almost never returned the affectionate contact. Feeling his warm palm on his shoulder now indicated that Sasuke must have a very good reason for his actions and that again left Naruto a little nervous. Slowly he turned around to face the raven who still looked as if he was going to punch someone soon._

" _What's wrong, teme?", Naruto asked, surprised by how carefree and normal his voice sounded despite his slight nervousness.  
"She has a crush on you", Sasuke said, catching Naruto off guard and confusing him even more. What was he talking about? _Who _was he talking about?  
"Huh?", was Naruto's eloquent answer as his mind tried to make sense of what Sasuke was talking about. The raven's hand still rested on Naruto's shoulder and the warmth of it started to seep through his sweater, making him squirm a little.  
"I'm talking about Hinata, moron", Sasuke explained, obviously guessing correctly that Naruto had no idea whom he'd been talking about. _

" _Oh… her…", the blond boy said, not really knowing how to react. Of course he had noticed Hinata's obvious interest in him, but why did Sasuke tell him something like that? Did he try to encourage him to date her? To be honest, Naruto had never told Sasuke about his sexuality, too afraid of an unpleasant reaction, but he knew that he had to come out of the closet eventually.  
"Yeah, her. So what are you gonna do?", there was something hard in Sasuke's voice that Naruto had never heard before and he briefly wondered where it came from, but had no time to further think about it, because Sasuke's eyes screamed murder by now. _

_Naruto sighed heavily. Maybe it was time for the truth at last. "Nothing. I'm not into girls. I'm gay, Sasuke". He didn't know what kind of reaction he'd been expecting from his best friend, but just standing there and blinking surprised surly wasn't it.  
"You… should tell her…", Sasuke said after a while, his voice for whatever reason a little rougher than usual, but before Naruto could say something about it, he had croaked out a strained "bathroom", and disappeared through the door, leaving the blond confused and worried. Did he just risk their friendship by telling Sasuke he didn't like the other sex?_

 _Sighing again he finally took the beers out of the fridge, the others surly wondering what took them so long. As he did so, his mind went back to Sasuke's words. He was right, wasn't he? Naruto had to tell Hinata, if she really had a crush on him. It made sense now that he thought about it. She had tried to be close to him the whole evening and kept blushing whenever he looked at her and no one could have missed the anticipation in her eyes when he'd pecked her on the cheek.  
Was that the reason for Sasuke's sour mood? Was he… jealous? Did he think he'd lose his best friend it Naruto got a girlfriend? As if anyone could ever take Sasuke's place! They were as good as glued together and no girl- or boyfriend would ever change that._

 _Shaking his head to get rid of the confusing thoughts, Naruto walked back into the living room with the long awaited next round of drinks.  
Handing one to each teen, he took his seat between Hinata and Shika again.  
"Where's Sasuke?", the Kiba asked, opening his fresh beer.  
"Bathroom", Naruto said. "So, who's turn is it?".  
"My turn!", Sakura chirped, taking the bottle to spin it. When it stopped again the bottleneck pointed at Shikamaru, who had to do a handstand for one minute against a wall, which he of course spent complaining about how troublesome the game was. By the time he was back in a sitting position Sasuke had returned from the bathroom, looking just as tense has he'd done the entire evening._

 _A good hour later Kiba proclaimed that it was time to get the firework ready and Naruto finally saw his change to talk to Hinata. As everyone was leaving the room, Naruto turned to the dark haired girl.  
"Hey… uhm… do you think we could talk somewhere…? In private, that is".  
She again blushed deeply while at the same time paling and Naruto feared for a brief moment that she would faint, but instead Hinata nodded and followed him upstairs into one of the empty bedrooms there. He really didn't want any of the others to eavesdrop. _

" _W-What d-did you w-want to t-talk about?", she asked, once they'd entered the room. Naruto took his time closing the door, but didn't lock it, before he turned towards her.  
"Well, I'm not good at things like this… but… I can't pretend nothing happened tonight", he began, feeling awkward about the whole situation. Here he was, alone in a bedroom that probably belonged to Kiba's scary ass sister, with a girl who was crushing on him, telling her he couldn't ignore her feelings. He was getting her hopes up, for fuck's sake!_

 _Hinata looked at him wide eyed, her hand visibly trembling.  
"Listen… I know you… like… me, but-"  
"D-do you still like S-Sakura?", she blurted out, as soon as the 'but' had left his lips.  
Naruto shook his head at her apologetically. "No, it's not that. The problem lies with me, not with you, or any other girl for the matter. It's just…", he paused for a second, taking in a deep breath. "… I'm not into girls, Hinata. I'm gay". _

_Her beautiful lilac eyes widened even further when realization dawned on her. "Oh…", he said before falling silent again.  
"Yeah... I'm sorry, Hinata. I never meant to get your hopes up. That crush on Sakura… was just me being young and foolish, but I know for some time now that I actually like boys. So it wouldn't have worked out anyway, if that's of some comfort to you", he tried to explain, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.  
"It's okay, Naruto. Y-You don't h-have to explain y-yourself t-to me. I- I'm just glad y-you were honest w-with me. Th-Thank you", she finally said, her voice low and almost brittle. There was a sadness in her eyes that had Naruto's heart constrict painfully with guilt, but he was sure he'd done the right thing in putting the cards on the table. _

" _Thank you for understanding. Would you mind not telling the others for now? I want to do that myself", he said trying to smile at her  
Hinata nodded again and returned the smile. "Y-Your secret's safe w-with me. I-I should g-go now though". With a last glance at him he turned around and felt the room leaving the door open behind her._

Well, that went better than expected, _Naruto thought, sitting down on the edge of the queen sized bed. He'd hoped Hinata would understand, but he'd also been prepared for drama. However, she'd been as sweet a girl as always and Naruto really hoped she would find someone to make her happy, maybe even Kiba._

 _Running a hand through his blond locks he looked up when he felt the presence of another person in the doorway. Sasuke was leaning casually against the wooden doorframe, his pale face impassive, the dark eyes locked on Naruto. How long had he been there? Had he overheard his conversation with Hinata?_

" _I told her…", Naruto said calmly, not bothering to explain his words any further.  
Sasuke pushed himself off the wood and stepped into the room, locking the door before he walked over to Naruto and stopped right in front of him.  
"I know", he answered in an almost-whisper, leaning down so that his warm breath fanned over Naruto's skin and made him shiver. Did Sasuke know he had that kind of effect on him?  
"You eavesdropped on us?!", the accusation was obvious in Naruto's voice. He wasn't even trying to supress his anger. Of course Sasuke was his best friend, but this conversation had been private and Sasuke had simply taken the liberty to step over the boundaries and ignore his privacy. _

_The raven shrugged and sat down next to him on the bed, close enough to have their thighs touch.  
"Yes, I did"  
"Why? That conversation was private!"  
Sasuke's eyes narrowed dangerously, his gaze boring into Naruto's as he leaned closer, one hand now resting on the blond's thigh.  
"Private? Tell me, Naruto, what else do you keep from me?", he asked, he voice hard and barely above a whisper._

 _Naruto swallowed hard. He suddenly felt hot all over, with Sasuke leaning so close to him and his voice so hoarse, while his breath felt hot against tan skin. "N-Nothing…", he said, cursing himself for stuttering at a time like this._

" _Why didn't you tell me you were gay?"_

 _Hyperaware of Sasuke's body pressed against his, it was hard for Naruto to comprehend what the raven was saying, but as soon as his sluggish mind caught on the meaning of the words, he felt sick. Was this the moment their friendship would break apart?  
"I was afraid… afraid you'd have a problem with me liking guys", he finally croaked out, mentally preparing for the rejection that might follow and therefore closing his eyes._

 _Next thing he felt was fire running down his spine as soft lips were pressed to his. Shocked by the sudden contact, he opened his eyes, pupils dilated when he realized what was happening.  
_ Sasuke was kissing him!

 _And just like that his resistance broke and all he could do was to clench his eyes shut, wrap his arms around Sasuke's neck and kiss him back, hoping he wouldn't regret this later on.  
From one second to the next the fire was back and his whole body seemed to tingle from just pressing his lips to Sasuke's. There was not outside world, the only thing in existence was this bedroom with the two of them in it. And when Sasuke started to move his lips, massaging Naruto's carefully, he knew he was done for. _

_Sighing happily into the kiss, he nibbled at Sasuke's bottom lip, savouring the taste that was purely Sasuke. It felt like he'd fallen right into one of his dreams and the thought of how these ended, mixed with the kiss, was enough to let heat pool low in his groin. He couldn't hold back anymore and let his hands roam over Sasuke's body, feeling the toned muscles underneath his shirt. He had seen his best friend change so often after training, therefore knowing what his body would look like without clothes, but never had he imagined to be able to touch him like this._

 _Suddenly he could feel Sasuke's tongue run along his lips, parting them and thrusting into his mouth. The kiss turned from gentle to forceful in two seconds flat and Naruto couldn't help the moan that escaped him as he felt Sasuke's tongue roam his mouth relentlessly. Never before had he felt so hot and the butterflies in his stomach were flattering wildly, leaving him trembling and breathless for all the right reasons._

 _He could feel Sasuke smirk against his mouth as he met the raven's tongue with his, starting a heated fight for dominance. He knew, he'd melt into the kiss again soon enough, so why not show some defiance before he became a pile of mush under Sasuke's hands, which had moved from their previous positions to caress the hot, flat skin under Naruto's sweater._

 _It felt electrifying… arousing… to Naruto. He craved for more and soon let Sasuke dominate the kiss again, his tongue rubbing sensually against Naruto's, while the blond boy clutched his dark hair almost painfully to press their bodies closer together.  
Panting and slightly blushing, their gazes met when they finally pulled apart and Naruto's hand wandered down from Sasuke's hair to his cheek, caressing the soft skin with his thumb._

" _Sasuke…", he whispered hoarsely, otherwise lost for words. Those dangerous onyx eyes had softened a bit as they locked with blue ones. Strong hands suddenly griped Naruto's hips and before he knew what was going on, he was sitting on Sasuke's lap, their crotches almost touching. Heat was seeping through his jeans into his thighs and the squirmed a little, which only made their groins rub slightly.  
"S… Sorry…", he muttered, trying to bring some distance between their bodies.  
To his surprise the grip around his hips hardened, making it impossible to get further away from the other boy.  
"Don't be", Sasuke whispered.  
"Why not?", Naruto asked and let his head fall forward so that it came to rest on Sasuke's shoulder.  
"Because I wanted to do this for a long time"._

 _Naruto's head shot up, eyes wide in shock as he stared at Sasuke. "You… like me?", he wanted to know with his voice almost breaking.  
Sasuke chuckled and put a hand under Naruto's chin, forcing him to look him in the eye. "I more than just _like _you", he said in a steady voice._

 _A shiver ran down Naruto's spine and he leaned closer to smash their lips together, seeking closeness. This kiss was nothing like the first. It was sloppy, heated, needy and demanding. Tongues rubbing against each other and teeth clicking. Fisting Sasuke's shirt with one hand, he brought him even closer, tilting his own head a little to deepen the kiss even more. With Sasuke's body so tightly pressed against his, there was just no way to not let their crotches occasionally rub against each other and all of a sudden Naruto's teenage hormones kicked in, making him grow harder by the second. He could feel Sasuke's soft skin, his wet tongue, strong hands slowly running over Naruto's already heated skin under the sweater, rubbing small circles here and there, until he reached a pink nipple. Naruto moaned into the kiss when Sasuke teasingly pinched and twisted the sensitive nub, before soothingly rubbing it._

 _By now Naruto was sporting an impressive hard-on, straining against his too tight jeans. Grinding against Sasuke, he could feel the boy's hard length and finally broke the kiss to draw a deep breath. Immediately reacting to the lack of kiss, Sasuke's lips attacked Naruto's neck, sucking and licking the soft skin. Another moan escaped the blond boy when Sasuke pinched his nipple again and simultaneously sucked at his pulse point, making Naruto's head spin with arousal so the he thrust his hips against Sasuke's, needy for more friction. He could hear the raven hiss as their erections touched through the fabric._

 _Without further thinking about it, Naruto reached for Sasuke's pants and pulled down the zipper to free his erection. The raven let go of Naruto's neck and looked up, eyes slightly widened as he felt Naruto's hand close around his cock.  
"Are you sure?", he asked a little shaky.  
"Not all the way, but… I want to feel you…", Naruto answered, running his hand up and down Sasuke's hard length. The raven hissed again, but loosened the blond boy's grip around his erection.  
"Not like this", he whispered, gaining confidence from Naruto's willing response. With steady hands he opened his jeans as well to free the other boy's cock. _

_As soon as both their member stood at attention outside the constricting fabric, Sasuke put his hands on Naruto's ass, palming his cheeks, to pull him close enough to let their heated crotches touch.  
"Nnnghh…", Naruto threw his head back when he felt Sasuke's cock rub against his, creating wonderful, perfect friction. Pleasure ran up his spine like electricity, making his head spin. Frantically he thrust harder against the hot, hard and yet velvety skin of Sasuke's erection, desperate for more. More friction, more heat, more pleasure – more everything._

 _Outside he could hear his new friends cheer as the New Year finally approached, but he just didn't care about it. All that mattered right now was Sasuke and the perfect way he was moving against Naruto, their erections rubbing sensually. The pleasure got even more intense when Sasuke's hand sneaked back under Naruto's sweater to tease his nipples again. Soon their lips were locked once more and both boys were rubbing desperately against each other. Heat was coiling low in Naruto's groin, as he moaned into the sloppy kisses._

" _Ah… Sasuke… more…"_

 _A hand closed around both their members, pumping in a hard rhythm with their thrusts and Naruto knew he wouldn't last much longer. His body was overwhelmed by pleasure. He could feel Sasuke, taste him, hump him and smell him. It was all he'd ever dreamed of and more. His head was spinning from the pleasure that ran like fire through his veins and both their cocks were slick with precum._

" _Feel good?", Sasuke asked before tracing his tongue over the shell of Naruto's ear.  
"Oh yessss", the blond hissed, thrusting against his best friend again.  
"Do you want to come?", rubbing their cocks particularly hard, Sasuke chuckled a little when Naruto moaned again. His blue eyes were dark with lust and his cheeks flushed from pleasure, blond hair sticking to his slightly sweat sheened forehead.  
"Ahhh… yes… Sasuke please…", Naruto begged, panting heavily as his felt his orgasm approach rapidly. _

" _Then come for me, Naruto. Scream my name", Sasuke growled possessively, pumping their dicks even harder and sending Naruto over the edge with a cream of his name neither of them cared could possibly be heard outside the room. His fingers sticky with Naruto's cum, he gave his own cock a last hard stroke before he too came with a long moan into his hand._

 _Riding on the aftermath of his orgasm, Naruto rested his forehead against Sasuke's shoulder, panting heavily. He had dreamed about things like this, but never had he imagined it to come true, nor that it would exceed his expectations and feel so much better._

" _You are mine", Sasuke purred, his free hand soothingly running down Naruto's back._

* * *

"So you're telling me, you missed New Year's at the age of fifteen, to make out with Sasuke?", Gaara asked dryly.  
"Yeah, I guess so", Naruto admitted, blushing a little. It had taken them some time before they'd gone all the way, but that first night had been pretty intense and Naruto had jerked off to it for weeks.  
"Well, it was the logical conclusion of your feelings for each other", Gaara oh so helpfully stated and then added: "He was obviously in love with you and finally made the first move after you'd told him you liked guys".  
"Yeah, I know. But still… it was quite a surprise and I've never been happier. He really loved me back then, I'm sure of it".

Gaara sighed. "Do you have any idea, why he left?"  
"Other than him being an asshole? No", Naruto replied, shaking his head and stirring his cup ramen.  
"You know what, I might just take some of that ramen after all and you answer some more of my questions, all right?", Gaara leaned back in his chair and Naruto nodded, getting up to fetch another cup ramen and some water. Hopefully Gaara was right and talking about it would really help him to get over Sasuke. Maybe he'd feel good enough to give that Sasori guy a call afterwards.

"So, when did you tell your friends?", Gaara asked as soon as Naruto had taken his seat at the table again.  
"A few weeks later, actually. We needed a little time to sort out what we wanted and how to act as boyfriends, but then we officially announced that we were dating", Naruto said with a fond smile on his lips. Publically claiming Sasuke as his had felt so good.  
"Who else knows about your relationship?"  
"Well, all our friends and Itachi of course. Oh, and Jiraiya knew! Can't keep something like this from the old prev. Sasuke never told his parents, though. His father and his uncle wouldn't react to well to him having a boyfriend".

"I understand… hm… good, now tell about the day you married him".

* * *

 **To be continued…**

 **Another chapter done! Now we know how they ended up together! Let me know what you think about it.**

 **I have to admit that Sasuke's chapters are probably more exciting right now, because he's the one we don't know so much about yet, but I promise everything will make sense after chapter eight. So stay tuned!**


	6. The Heat in the Cold

**As predicted, this update took me a little longer because I had no change to write for an entire week at the Leipzig Book Faire (which was great by the way!). Now that I'm back at home, I have to catch up on, but I'm proud to announce that I'm in time with my writing schedule! Good for you guys :P**

 **I know you're all waiting for the confrontation, but I have a few flashback chapters left and I promise you, this one will be… hot! (That's at least what I hope it is *g*). I put it into the story because I really want to show you guys how deep their connection was before Sasuke left. So I hope you can forgive that we all have to wait a little longer for the actual plot to start.**

 **However, I really enjoyed this chapter. I had this scene playing my mind where they sit together in snow, being absolutely in love with each other and I just needed to put it into a chapter. This is the outcome! Please enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, if I did, the ending would've been quite different *g* All characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.**

 **Warning: _18+ content_! Full BoyXBoy – don't like don't read (and honestly if you made it this far in the story, you should know what's coming, so don't blame me :P) **

* * *

**Chapter 6 The Heat in the Cold**

It was barely past eight in the morning when Sasuke walked over the runway to the elevator that would bring him to the terminal were he could collect his luggage. He didn't know how long this trip would take and when he'd be back in Tokyo, so he'd decided to be sure to bring a few more sets of clothes, just in case. After not having seen Naruto for approximately five years, he didn't know what the blond boy's reaction would be. And, what bothered Sasuke even more, if he was back in a new relationship with someone else. On the one hand that was exactly what Sasuke should wish for, but then again he hated the thought of Naruto being with someone who wasn't him.

He still couldn't get past his memories of the birthday when he'd realized he was in love with his best friend. At first he'd been shocked and also a little scared. Naruto with his outgoing personality and crush on Sakura just had to be straight in Sasuke's opinion at the time. Not wanting to lose his lifelong friend, he'd kept his silence about his feelings until New Year's Eve a year later, when Naruto had told him he was gay.

Sasuke had been jealous of Hinata the entire evening for clinging to Naruto, while he had to keep his distance. After Naruto's confession he'd fled into the bathroom to calm down his rapidly beating heart and think of a plan to tell Naruto that he liked him. In the end nothing had worked out according to plan and Sasuke had acted on pure instinct, with the result of humping Naruto until both of them came hard.

After that it had been quite obvious that they were more than just friends and Sasuke had believed nothing would ever rip them apart. Little had he known that one day he would choose to willingly leave Naruto and give up on the one person he'd ever bonded with aside from Itachi.

Finally taking his luggage from the line, he looked around. The entire airport was filled with noisy people either wishing each other goodbye or welcoming someone back, but nonetheless always teary eyed. Sasuke hated such open display of emotions and affection. As an Uchiha he had grown up believing that personal matters should be left in private. But today, he wondered what it would feel like to have his husband wait for him when he left the terminal. Would it have been like that if he'd just left for a short business trip all those years ago? Would Naruto have waited for him here, excited to finally have him back? Did he wait for someone else nowadays?

Shaking his head to get rid of the silly thoughts, he turned to the glass doors, watching them slide open in front of him.

He'd booked a room in one of the high class hotels on the other side of town and would have to take a cab get there. Of course cabs were extremely expensive, just like everywhere in Japan, but being born an Uchiha, money didn't matter. And by tomorrow one of his family's employees would have delivered one of Sasuke's cars. Flying might be faster, but he surely wouldn't go without his Lexus.

Straightening his stiff shoulders, he walked up to one of the drivers and got onto the backseat while the polite man put Sasuke's luggage into the trunk. The drive would probably take about an hour through the thick morning traffic. It wasn't as bad as Tokyo, but Konoha was a thriving city and the greater the population, the worse the traffic.

Fortunately the cab driver didn't try to force Sasuke into a conversation, allowing him to let his mind wander. He watched the outline of the city in the early morning light, familiar buildings flying by as they drove. Not much had changed at first sight. It even felt as if Sasuke had never been away; had not started a life in a new town, with different people surrounding him, but never getting close. He didn't want to let others in. The people he worked with were simply that – colleagues, not friends.

The only friends he'd ever made were in Konoha and they probably hated him now. He didn't live under the illusion that they wouldn't know he'd just left without ever explaining. And as well as he knew Naruto, he was sure his blond moron of a husband had given chase to him, at least in the beginning.

But even if he had, Sasuke had made sure, Naruto would never reach him. He had changed his phone number and even gotten a second phone; one for private matters and one for business. The apartment he lived in had only been bought after he'd left Konoha and the building he worked in had a strict security. No one, who didn't have a good reason to be there, was allowed to enter the head office of the Uchiha National Bank. Sasuke's uncle Madara was way too paranoid to allow anyone he didn't know in.

Well, it didn't matter anymore, did it? Naruto had long given up on sending letters to Sasuke's official post-office box that would never be answered and Sasuke had done everything to remain unreachable. He had simply cut Naruto off.

And right know he really had to stop thinking about him. Ever since his father had broken the news of his engagement to him, the blond boy seemed to be on his mind, determined to stay there. Usually his everyday life was busy enough to distract Sasuke and channel his thoughts on financial matters, but right now his long neglected private life seemed to catch up on him.

Just as he was about to close his eyes for a bit and shut the world out, a building outside the window caught his attention. The one place that held so much meaning to him. Where he'd first met Naruto and found his one important friend. The place, where Naruto had taken their relationship to a whole new level elven years after they'd shared their first lunch – their Elementary School.

* * *

 _Sometimes Sasuke hated being an Uchiha… Okay, scratch that. He always hated being an Uchiha. Of course his name brought great prestige and more money than you can spend in a lifetime, but it also had its downsides. Especially the male members of the clan had high expectations for their offspring. Uchihas were supposed to be excellent at everything – school, sports, even their free time activities. They attended college and in the best of cases they finished their education ahead of schedule with straight As in all classes._

 _Itachi was the perfect Uchiha. The always praised genius, who had moved to Tokyo by now and taken up an entire department at the UNB right away, Sasuke however, had never been able to step out of his brother's large shadow. In his father's eyes he had never been as perfect as Itachi, and being spoiled by their genius child, all of Sasuke's achievements paled in comparison._

 _He knew Itachi didn't do it on purpose, but that made it no less frustrating. And this frustration was exactly the reason why Sasuke had spent almost the entire day in the school library to study. Midterm exams were close and he couldn't risk a single A- in his tests. It was bad enough that he was already seventeen and still attended High School. At his age, Itachi had already enrolled at University and four years later, aged 21; he'd finished his doctor's program in economics and law._

 _The perfect Uchiha heir._

 _Pinching the bridge of his nose to make the headache go away, Sasuke entered the now always empty house. He'd gotten used to it over the past year, but was still glad when Naruto stayed over and filled the room with his bright joy and exuberant personality. His boyfriend of two years really was the one person who could always cheer Sasuke up, but he would never tell him that._

 _Today however, after an extremely long and exhausting day, the blond idiot wasn't there to make him feel better and get his mind off the pressuring demands his father made all the way from Tokyo. Usually Naruto would already be waiting for him, glad to be away from his nth foster family. Both had given up on counting the families Naruto had lived with since they'd met, the two of them being 'family' for each other._

 _After cooking together (Sasuke preparing the food and Naruto stealing either ingredients from the pan or kisses from Sasuke) they would spend the rest of the night on the couch watching TV and eventually start to make out. By the time they'd be done with each other, Sasuke would have forgotten all about his father and the family legacy._

 _But today would be different. Naruto was with Jiraiya tonight, the old perv having asked him to help with something, Sasuke had already forgotten what, weeks ago. Didn't change the fact that he missed his overenergetic boyfriend though._

 _Turing on the lights, Sasuke stepped into the hallway and took off his shoes. He'd just take something from the freezer and put it in the microwave, too tired to actually start cooking for himself tonight._

 _It was already dark outside and had been snowing the entire day. Sasuke really hated late Januarys with their freezing temperatures and piles of snow. Maybe a nice, hot cup of green tea would warm him up a bit._

 _He put his school bag away and entered the kitchen, not really feeling motivated but still hungry. After he'd switched on the lights in the room, his gaze fell onto the kitchen table. There, in the centre of the wooden board, sat a small, innocent looking envelope with unmistakably Naruto's handwriting on it. Sasuke took it and read the two words inscribed on the front._

Open me

 _Raising an eyebrow at the Alice-in-Wonderland-like writing, he did as he was told and opened the envelope. Inside he found a small, folded card and again there were words written on the outside._

Read me

 _This time Sasuke really rolled his eyes. What was his dobe thinking? Huffing, he opened the card and read it._

 _Hey Alice,_

 _Having a bad day? How about some tea to get you relaxed? I promise you won't have to chase me. I'll be a good white rabbit and wait for you where everything began._

 _Love Naruto_

 _PS. Honestly, teme, I'm not joking here. Come meet me on the roof of our Elementary School as soon as you read this. I'm waiting for you._

 _Despite the silly letter, Sasuke chuckled a little. Naruto really was a moron sometimes, but also a very cute one, with his strange ideas. No matter how long they knew each other, the blond boy still managed to surprise Sasuke. What else could he do, but follow this invitation? The only thing he still wondered about was the choice of place. Why did Naruto want to meat up at their old Elementary School?_

 _They hadn't been back there since they'd moved on to Middle School. And on the roof top of all places? Of course they'd spent a lot of time there when they were younger, and the place meant a lot to them, but it was January and fucking freezing outside! However, there was nothing he could about that now, was there? Accepting his fate, he put his coat and shoes back on, took his keys and phone from the sideboard and left the house to walk the few blocks to his old Elementary School._

 _Outside, it was still snowing and Sasuke shoved his hands into the pockets of his cloak to keep them warm. Was that moron really waiting on the roof top in such weather? He'd surely be sick by tomorrow, but then again Naruto usually never caught a cold. The only one coughing and sniffing every year was Sasuke._

 _Although the walk was rather short, it seemed to go on forever, as Sasuke started to get a little bit nervous. What was it, Naruto had prepared for him? Why did he want to meat up on that roof? How did he even get there this late, when the school was already locked? Oh well, Sasuke had his theory about that last question._

 _Ever since their days in first grade, Naruto had had a special relationship with their homeroom teacher Umino Iruka. The kind man had always had a soft spot for Naruto and they'd stayed in contact even after Elementary School. As far as Sasuke knew, Iruka –sensei still worked there and therefore owned a key to the building. Sasuke was sure he'd open the school for Naruto if the blond boy asked nicely and had a good enough reason._

 _That again left Sasuke with the question what would be valid enough for Iruka to agree? What was Naruto planning to do on a school roof in late January? Well, there was only one way to find out, was there?_

 _With a smile of anticipation on his lips, Sasuke walked faster until he reached his old Elementary School and unsurprisingly found it unlocked. The lights hadn't been turned on as to not arouse too much attention, but Sasuke didn't need them anyway. Pale light from the street lanterns fell through the windows, illuminating the hallways enough to lead Sasuke safely through the once so familiar hallways._

 _For six years he'd come here every day until the age of twelve. He knew his way around. Walking down the halls felt a bit nostalgic, after all the hours he'd spent here it was strange to see other kids' pictures decorate the walls. But as he passed the art classroom he stopped in his tracks, staring at the wallcovering drawing of a large green and brown frog. Naruto had done this when he'd been ten as an art project. The blond had always been gifted with drawing skills. Probably the only thing he was better at than Sasuke. With a last glance at the bright green frog he moved on towards the staircase leading to the roof._

 _Back in Elementary School he had walked those steps every day during the warmer seasons to have his lunch break with Naruto. He had known about the blond boy's embarrassment for taking food from his best friend every day, but in the end his hunger had been stronger and Sasuke couldn't care less about the additional money spent. They had been happy back then, they still were. But the carefree feeling of childhood was gone and Sasuke was glad they were still close – even closer now than before._

 _As he reached the top of the stairs and opened the door, he could feel his anticipation curl inside his stomach. He would never admit it, but he loved Naruto's little surprises. Usually he pretended they would annoy him because they were cheesy and sappy, yet he secretly enjoyed them all. And right now Naruto was waiting for him just behind that door._

 _Opening it, Sasuke stepped on the roof top and felt the cold wind on his face. Snow covered the concrete floor and in the far corner of the roof sat a blond boy about Sasuke's age on a futon with an electric fire by his side, grinning happily at Sasuke, who raised both his eyebrows in question as black eyes met blue._

 _Naruto was his usual colourful self, wearing an orange hoodie, dark blue jeans and bright red boots._

" _Hey Sasuke! I've been waiting for you!", he cheered, getting up from the ground to greet his boyfriend.  
"What are you doing here, dobe? Shouldn't you be with Jiraiya working on one of his pervy books?", Sasuke asked as he stepped closer. The heat of the electric fire was nice and comforting, but Sasuke didn't want to sit down just yet. He couldn't make it that easy for Naruto, could he?_

" _Well…", the blond boy started, rubbing the back of his neck and grinning sheepishly. "That was only an excuse so you wouldn't expect me to be at your house when you came home".  
"Okay… and instead of coming to my house, have a nice _hot _meal and spent the night with amazing sex, you choose to lure me to a shit cold roof to have a picnic?", Sasuke pressed on, still sounding incredibly annoyed but inwardly smiling.  
"Hey! Saying it like that makes it sound stupid, but it's romantic, teme!", Naruto said, mock-sulking.  
Sasuke shook he head. "Fine, it's romantic. Now let's sit down and have our… well, it's not lunch at this time, but maybe dinner"._

 _Naruto smiled fondly at him before sitting back down and taking Sasuke with him. It was surprisingly warm closer to the electric fire and covered in a fluffy comforter Sasuke realized it wasn't too bad out here. He took off his coat and tried to get comfortable on the futon._

 _Still grinning wildly and with blue eyes shining with joy, Naruto reached into his backpack and took out two bento boxes and two pairs of chopsticks. Well, those weren't just any bento boxes, but the exact same ones Sasuke had used when he'd first offered one of them to Naruto._

" _Where did you get those?", he wanted to know, sure they'd been thrown away a long time ago.  
"Itachi", Naruto answered, knowing Sasuke wouldn't need any further explanation.  
"I should have known", Sasuke sighed and opened the box Naruto had pushed towards him. Inside he found sushi, onigiri, some vegetables, soya sauce and also some tomatoes. Suddenly realizing how hungry he felt, Sasuke quickly pecked Naruto on the lips before he started to eat. _

_Contrary to Naruto's usual cooking skills, the meal tasted really good. Everything was well prepared and even the seasoning was fine. Usually Naruto would either burn something or screw up with the spices. But this Sasuke really enjoyed eating._

 _His boyfriend however, kept watching him most of the time without eating very much. It almost seemed as if he was waiting for something._

" _Are you alright?", Sasuke asked, lowering his chopsticks.  
"Oh… yes, yes! Don't worry! Just keep eating", Naruto said so fast the words almost trembled over each other._

 _The strange behaviour made Sasuke even more suspicious, but he still kept on eating. Maybe what ever had Naruto this nervous could be solved this way. With another glance at Naruto he took the last avocado maki from the box and dipped it into the soya sauce, but as he finally shoved it past his lips, his eyes caught onto something glistening at the bottom of the bento box. Raising both his eyebrows, Sasuke swallowed the sushi and put away his chopsticks to reach for the small item._

 _Next to him, Naruto noticeably tensed, playing with the cord of this fainted orange hoodie to cover up how nervous he was, but Sasuke knew the blond boy long enough to know exactly how his boyfriend felt. And just now Sasuke too, felt anxious. There was a heat boiling in his guts as he took the trinket with trembling fingers._

 _What he found at the bottom of that bento box could turn his world upside down. He took it and put it on the palm of his outstretched hand, gaze locked on it. It was a beautiful, unadorned ring made of white gold. Sasuke knew it would fit perfectly onto his annular finger if he tried to put it on._

" _Naruto… what is the meaning of this?", he whispered, his heartbeat loud in his ears. His usually sharp mind, seemingly having given up functioning, felt sluggish and mushy._

 _The blond boy flushed slightly, but took the ring from Sasuke nonetheless. He cleared his throat and raised his cerulean eyes to meet Sasuke's.  
"Well… you know… this… this is me… fuck it. Sasuke, I love you so much! I want to be with you. Not just right know, but also in fifty years. I want us to grow old together, knowing we belong to each other. Would you do me the honour of marrying me?", by the end of his monologue Naruto's voice had gotten steady and determined. Sasuke could see so much love in his boyfriend's bright eyes that he feared he might get high on it and never come back down. _

_He could feel his heat beat in his throat and felt like choking. At the same time the butterflies seemed to dance in his stomach. Wasn't that exactly what he wanted? To be with Naruto for the rest of his life? To give him something that would mark the blond boy as_ his _? He knew it was selfish and possessive, but he couldn't bear the thought of ever seeing Naruto with someone else._

" _Yes", he said without any hesitation or doubt. "I want to marry you"._

 _Naruto's eyes grew wide and he flashed on of his infectious smiles at him, showing all his wonderful emotions on his handsome face, as he slid the ring onto Sasuke's still outstretched finger, were it fit perfectly._

" _I'm so happy, Sasuke", he whispered as tan hands reached for Sasuke's cheeks and soft thumbs caressed his skin, before Naruto pressed a chaste and gentle kiss to his lips. Sasuke felt as if everything Naruto wanted to say was right there in the kiss and he wanted to do the same; wanted to let Naruto know everything that went unspoken between them through the contact of lips. And so he kissed back, trying to convey all his love, affection and passion through it. He wanted Naruto to know how much he needed him and cared for him. Their contact was gentle and deep and Sasuke didn't feel the slightest bit cold anymore._

 _His body was warm and tingling. All he wanted to do was touch Naruto right now. The thought that Naruto was now really his started to sink in, while their lips slowly danced over one another, and with that thought came a new feeling. Something dark, possessive and extremely satisfied curled inside Sasuke's chest and suddenly just kissing each other wasn't good enough anymore._

 _Sasuke wanted it all. He wanted to feel Naruto as close as possible, wanted to mark him as his for the whole world to see. He wanted to be inside him while he screamed his name in pleasure. And he knew exactly what to do, to make it so._

 _Deepening the kiss, Sasuke reached for the additional covers Naruto had brought just in case one of them would feel too cold, and wrapped them around their shoulders. Afterwards he grabbed Naruto's hips to pull him onto his lap. Sasuke always enjoyed sitting like this with Naruto on his lap, crotches almost touching, chests close and the blond hovering a little above him, so that Sasuke had to tilt his head back if he wanted to kiss him properly._

 _He placed his hands on Naruto's ass to massage the firm cheeks and nibbled at his bottom lip. The blond boy obediently parted his lips so that Sasuke could slid his tongue between them and nudge his lover's to make them rub against each other._

 _Naruto tasted salty due to the soya sauce he had eaten, but Sasuke didn't mind. Right now his brain was too focused on the taste beneath the salt, the taste that was purely and only Naruto. He loved it._

 _Satisfied with the warmth that had built up under the covers, Sasuke removed his hands from Naruto's ass and slid them under the thick hoodie and t-shirt below, pushing the fabric up as he went. Naruto's skin was soft and warm, with slightly, but not too much, defined muscles underneath and when Sasuke reached his pink nipples he couldn't resist pinching them._

 _With a slow moan Naruto broke the kiss, his pupils somewhat dilated and cheeks flushed.  
"Sasuke? What are you doing?", he asked breathlessly._

 _Obviously the blond boy hadn't assumed to actually have sex out here in the snow, but Sasuke had already made up his mind – he wanted Naruto right here, right now. With a smirk on his lips he pointedly rolled his hips. "What do you think I'm doing?", he said, all the while twisting and rubbing Naruto's now hard nipples, making the boy squirm on his lap._

 _Realization seemed to dawn on Naruto, and his cheeks flushed an even deeper red. "Here? Outside? In the snow?", he croaked out, shivering slightly as Sasuke lazily ran his tongue along Naruto's neck.  
"Oh yes, here", he purred against the sensitive skin before starting to suck at the junction between neck and shoulder. The tan skin felt hot against his lips as he alternately bit, sucked and kissed it, knowing he would leave a purple mark for everyone to see. _

_Satisfaction burned in his chest and he could feel Naruto turn to mush under his hands. His erection was already rubbing against Sasuke's through the fabric of their jeans, sending electric jolts up his spine. It was time to get rid of their annoying clothes._

 _Pleased with the mark he'd left, Sasuke let go of Naruto's neck and unzipped his hoodie to slide it off his shoulders, the T-shirt following suit. He leaned forward, catching one of the thoroughly abused nubs with his mouth and nudged it with the tip of his tongue._

 _Naruto's hand, being buried in Sasuke's hair, tugged at the soft strands as he moaned and rubbed their groins together, desperate for more friction._

 _Smirking, Sasuke reached for the zipper of Naruto's jeans to pull it down and held him with on hand on his hip and one against his back, as he changed their position so that Naruto was now lying on the futon with Sasuke hovering above him._

 _The raven started to unbutton his shirt, as he straddled Naruto's hips, teasing his erection by moving his ass back and forth. The blond boy tried to thrust up, and clutched the futon hard, but Sasuke's body held him down._

 _Not until he'd taken off his shirt, did Sasuke move from his position to give Naruto the chance to press his dick towards him.  
A cocky smile appeared on his lips. He loved having Naruto at his mercy. _

" _Eager, are we?", he whispered against the blond boy's ear when Naruto once more thrust up and arched his back.  
Lust filled blue eyes looked at him demandingly, but Sasuke only chuckled and leaned down to let his tongue trace the outline of Naruto's tanned body. He licked and sucked along a flat, hard chest, completely ignoring Naruto's bruised nipples as he went. _

_In the meantime he started to pull down the jeans and boxers Naruto still wore, to fully free his erection. The blond boy raised his hips to make Sasuke's task easier, tan hands now running down his spine and drawing lazy cycles on the creamy skin._

 _As soon as the last fabric was gone, Sasuke's tongue traced over Naruto's hips and down his V-line, making him shiver in anticipation. But instead of sucking and licking one particular place, Sasuke spread Naruto's legs and ran his tongue along the inside of his thigh, thoroughly ignoring the aching hardness between the boys legs._

" _Sasuke, you fucking tease!", Naruto said through clenched teeth. "Now get the fuck on with it, or I'll switch you around and do it myself"._

 _Sasuke had to admit that the thought of Naruto riding him and fucking himself with Sasuke's cock, made his blood boil, but tonight he wanted to make the other boy his._

 _Instead of answering, Sasuke opened his own zipper and pulled down his remaining clothes in one go, before holding three fingers out for Naruto to suck on them. Neither had brought lube or condoms today, so that sucking the digits would have to be enough and they'd have to do it bareback. Not that Sasuke minded, they had been each other's firsts, so no worries on that part, but Naruto usually wasn't too fond of the mess._

 _However, without a word of complain about the missing items, the blond boy took Sasuke's fingers inside his mouth and ran his tongue along them to make sure they'd be slick enough. The sight of Naruto licking and sucking at his fingers reminded Sasuke of what this mouth felt like around his cock and he could feel his erection twitch and throb._

 _With a little smack Naruto released his fingers and Sasuke placed one of the blond's legs on his shoulders for better access. Slowly he pushed one finger inside, simultaneously smashing their lips together and thrusting his tongue in Naruto's mouth. Naruto moaned against his lips and met his tongue for a heated play, rubbing Sasuke's; his nails now digging into the raven's back, leaving deep red marks there._

 _Sasuke started to move his finger inside Naruto in a slow pace, searching for the one sweet spot that would have the blond boy go crazy with pleasure. Another loud moan, followed by an attempt to thrust up, was proof enough that Sasuke had found Naruto's prostate and after rubbing it a few times more, he inserted a second finger, to start scissoring._

 _He wanted to make this good for Naruto, even if his self-restrain was about to break. He was achingly hard now and all he could think of with his lust clouded mind was to burry himself in that tight, velvety heat._

" _Ahhhhh… Sasuke… fuck me! Now!", Naruto hissed, breaking the kiss to throw his head back in pleasure._

 _The few little words were all it took for Sasuke's control to shatter and all the thoughts of taking it slow flew out of the window._

 _He let go of Naruto's leg and leaned forward until his erection was only inches away from the blond boy's kiss bruised lips, which instantly wrapped around him. Naruto's mouth was hot and wet and his tongue felt so good, as it ran along his length, making it slick._

 _Sasuke knew he wouldn't last long if Naruto kept sucking, but after what felt like only a few seconds, he let go of Sasuke's cock and looked at him expectantly. The raven swallowed hard before he positioned himself between Naruto's spread legs and slowly started to push inside._

 _For a short moment the boy underneath him tensed from the lack of preparation, but as soon as Sasuke wrapped his hand around Naruto's cock, the blond boy relaxed and started to push against Sasuke, eager to take him in._

 _Panting harshly, Sasuke tried to remain still when he was fully sheathed inside, to give his boyfriend time to get used to the feeling. It was by far not their first time, but the receiving part always took a little time to adjust to._

 _After a short while Naruto started to move his hips and Sasuke knew that he could move now too. Feeling quite relieved, he picked up pace and thrust into the soft heat, the velvety skin rubbing deliciously against his erection._

 _A moan escaped his lips and he started to thrust harder, going fast now as he pulled out and pushed back in, changing his angle every time to find Naruto's prostate. A few tries later the blond boy arched underneath him, pressing his erection against Sasuke's skin as the raven hit his sweet spot dead on._

" _Nhhhhggg… Sasuke" ,he moaned in a husky voice that turned Sasuke all the more on. He wanted… no… needed to come now, with the heat, curling and uncurling in his crotch, getting worse every time he buried himself in that tight hole._

" _Feel good?", he asked, thrusting hard against Naruto's prostate once more. Instead of an answer all he got was a pleasured almost-scream that encouraged Sasuke to go even harder and faster, hitting that sensitive bundle of nerves with every thrust he delivered._

 _Naruto trembled and squirmed beneath Sasuke's hands; unable to form a coherent thought much less a sentence, he kept moaning his lovers name and begging for more, which Sasuke was all too happy to give._

 _The heat in his crotch got worse and he knew he wouldn't last must longer, hence he reached for Naruto's erection and started pumping it, his thump teasing the sensitive tip slick with precum. He wanted them to come at the same time._

" _Let's come together", he whispered into Naruto's ear, liking the shell as he thrust harder into him, not caring if Naruto would be sore by morning.  
"Ahhhhh… yes", Naruto hissed, dragging out the 'e' as he moved frantically to meet Sasuke's dick and take him in as deep as possible. _

_The heat got almost unbearable and when Naruto moaned "I want you to come inside me!", all Sasuke could do was not to scream loud enough to wake the neighbours as the came hard inside him and Naruto simultaneously spilled his load all over Sasuke's hand that had been pumping him._

 _Panting hard, Sasuke sank down, resting his forehead against Naruto's sweat sheened shoulder, breathing in his unique scent. It felt so good. Still lingering in the afterglow of his orgasm, he wrapped his arms around his boyfriend and rolled off him to lie next to him under the warm covers._

 _Naruto raised a hand, and with a happy smile on his lips he tugged one of Sasuke's loose strands of hair behind his ear. The raven appreciated the gesture and smiled in return._

" _I love you", Naruto whispered._

* * *

With the building disappearing in the distance, Sasuke's memories of that night also faded, but they left him hollow and somewhat aching inside. That night he'd been sure he'd spend the rest of his life with Naruto. Only on his wedding day had he been happier.

Of course they'd been young when they'd gotten engaged, but why wait ten years when you know, you would never love anyone else this much?

He never had and still did not regret saying 'yes' that day. And he would do it again if he could go back in time, just to make sure he would live through those treasured moments.

Massaging his temples, he leaned back and closed his eyes. He would keep those memories locked inside him for the rest of his life, even if now was the last time he ever saw Naruto.

* * *

 **To be continued…**

 **So, that's it. My first actual smut in this story *g* There will be other lemon scenes of course, but they'll be quite different from this one due to the time gap. Next time it happens they are both about ten years older and that also changes the dynamics. I hope you liked it though.**

 **Next chapter will be about the wedding as you can guess. So stay tuned!**


	7. The Promise in the Betrayal

**Hey, everyone! I'm back with the new chapter! It's wedding-time! Finally! There will be a bit of foreshadowing but I wanted to show a different perspective of how people saw Sasuke in the past. So far we only saw him through Naruto's eyes. The wedding itself is not too traditional, but I really wanted to include the oaths because you know, it's a promise of a lifetime and that's important for Naruto.**

 **Unfortunately there will be no smut in here, but a bit of sappiness in the end. Maybe that'll make up for the lack of smex ;) Please and enjoy and let me know what you think! I love all of you, the followers, reviewers and favs! You rock, guys!**

 **To the guest reviewer who asked about the flashbacks:  
Hey, I unfortunately can't write you a message, so I'll give you your answer this way.**

 **I do understand why people skip flashbacks ;) In this case, there will be some references about what happened in the past in later chapters but the main reason for them to be there is to give substance to their relationship and make the reader understand how close they were before everything went downhill. The only exception will be the last flashback in Chapter 8. That's where we finally see why and how Sasuke left – so yes, that one is quite important for the plot, because it explains why things are the way they are. They will talk about all this in later chapters of course, but if you want to really know what happened, you should read it. Sasuke will always keep his secrets. But the rest you can skip if you want to.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, if I did, the ending would've been quite different *g* All characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.**

* * *

 **Chapter 7 The Promise in the Betrayal**

Naruto blinked once, twice, thrice and then swallowed hard. "What is there to tell?", he asked, closing his hands around the cup ramen as he averted his gaze. He really didn't want to talk about the day he'd wed Uchiha Sasuke.

Gaara crossed his arms in front of his chest. "What is there to tell?", he repeated. "The most important day of your life for example".  
Naruto opened his mouth to object, but his best friend silenced him with a raised hand. "Don't lie to me, Naruto. It still is the most important day, no matter how hard you try to deny it".

The blond man sighed. "Yeah, you are probably right, but that doesn't make it any better, you know. Thinking of that day still hurts like a bitch".  
"Do you know what doctors do, if you broke a bone and it healed the wrong way?", Gaara suddenly asked, his clear eyes still not betraying any emotion. Sometimes the guy's brain was a mystery to Naruto.  
"Uhm… What?"  
"They break it again", Gaara said, starting to eat his ramen as if he wasn't just talking about breaking bones.  
"And what exactly does that have to do with my wedding?"  
"It's exactly what we're going to do".  
"What? Break my bones? That's not gonna help, I promise"

Gaara rolled his eyes. "Sometimes you really are as thick as a brick. I didn't mean it like that. It's meant in a metaphorical sense. Not your bones broke when Sasuke left, but your heart and the wounds have healed. However, not the way they should, so they still ache. The only solution is to reopen them and let them heal again, properly this time", he explained in a clam voice.

Was Gaara right? Would reopening really help to mend his wounds for good? Did he want to move on? To abandon all hope of ever getting back together with Sasuke?

He remembered that day when he'd proposed to him. Hell, had he been nervous. All that planning beforehand while keeping it secret from Sasuke. Jiraiya, Itachi, even Iruka – sensei had been involved and they'd all been more than willing to help with the preparations. Naruto and Sasuke had only been seventeen at the time, but that hadn't changed Naruto's determination to spend the rest of his life with Sasuke.

And now, nine years later, he was still married to him and had not once gone on a date with someone else, because even the thought of loving someone who wasn't Sasuke felt alien. Marrying him had just been the logical conclusion of what had been coming for ten years already. There was just no Naruto without Sasuke.

"I don't know… I don't know if I can… if I want… An hour ago I would have done everything to move on, but now… I'm no longer sure if that's the right thing to do", he said, the ramen in front of him cooling while he couldn't stomach even one bite right now.

"I can't take that decision from you", Gaara said calmly. "But you could just give it a try. No one said that if you heal, you really have to let go of him. Even if I believe it would do you good to do so. How about you tell me about your wedding and when you're done, you decide if you want to give that Sasori guy a call or not".

Naruto looked at his best friend for a moment, considering his words. Telling him didn't mean he had to move on… if he came to the conclusion that he still wanted to wait for Sasuke, he could do that and if he wanted to move on, he could simply call the number on the tissue Deidara had given him yesterday.

"Right… I'll tell you…", he said, closing his eyes as his mind travelled back in time to the day he was happiest.

* * *

 _Snow was falling outside in front of the window, silently turning the green hills and meadows white, while Naruto stood with his head leaned against the cool glass. This was it. The day he'd been dreaming about for the past ten or so months. It was December and he'd turned eighteen two months ago. Now he was old enough to not only move out, but also legally marry._

 _The first had already happened. He'd moved into a small apartment close to his High School, which he would graduate from in summer. The latter would happen today. Naruto knew that not everyone was happy with his and Sasuke's decision to marry that young, but they really wanted this and they couldn't care any less about what other people thought, as long as the two of them were happy._

 _And so here he was, in a large room in a country hotel about an hour away from Konoha, waiting for the ceremony to begin. But right now Itachi was busy down there in the snow making the last preparations for what was to come and had ordered his younger brother as well as said brother's boyfriend to wait, separately, until he was finished. And to be honest, you didn't want to cross paths with a wedding planning Itachi – he was downright frightening._

 _However, Naruto was not without company. Jiraiya had insisted on staying with him until the ceremony began. The reasons were as much a miracle to Naruto as Jiraiya's escort today, a woman named Tsunade, whom Naruto had never seen before. But it seemed she and Jiraiya shared some history._

" _So, you sure about this?", the older man asked, sitting in one of the comfy armchairs, holding his coffee although he would have preferred some sake.  
Naruto turned around to look at the man, who had become his teacher, mentor and father figure, before he nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure. I was when I asked him and I still am. He and I, we're going to last". _

_Jiraiya looked at him as if considering his words. "You keep in mind that he's an Uchiha?", he said after a while.  
Naruto blinked at him in astonishment. Sometimes the man really surprised him. There were times, when Jiraiya seem without a care in the world, or at least as if his only care were naked girls and porn, but then again he had those moments when he got all serious and asked those questions which make you rethink every decision you ever made. _

" _Yeah, I know who he is. And he's not like his father, if that's what you mean", Naruto replied, crossing he arms in front of his chest. Sasuke really wasn't like that. He hated being an Uchiha and took no pride in his last name, nor did he plan to live up to his father's expectations.  
"But he didn't tell his parents about today", Jiraiya remarked, turning his cup on the table and not looking up from it.  
"No he didn't, because he doesn't want them to know. We don't need them here and his uncle would just spoil a day that belongs only to us", Naruto explained before he straightened his suit just because he could.  
Jiraiya sighed. "I really hope you're right". _

_Naruto puffed his cheeks and ran a hand through his hair, making his stylists earlier work be in vein. Well, he hadn't really believed his hair could be tamed until the ceremony, but Itachi had insisted on him trying. Judging by how enthusiastic the man was about his brother's wedding one could almost believe that Itachi was the bride here._

" _By the way, Itachi knows. He even organised all this! And he's going to lead the ceremony!", Naruto explained further, unable to live with Jiraiya's implication that Sasuke might turn out a real Uchiha and break up with Naruto for his family legacy._

" _Itachi is not your average Uchiha, Naruto. And you know that. He's always been criticizing his father and uncle", Jiraiya said, taking a sip of his slowly cooling coffee.  
"Yeah, but he's an Uchiha after all. Who says that Sasuke isn't just as non-Uchiha-like as his brother?", Naruto really didn't want to have that discussion now. His mentor had been so supportive about this relationship in the beginning, but ever since he'd met Sasuke's parents in person a few months ago, when the two of them had visited their son, his opinion about Naruto's boyfriend had changed. _

" _You're right. I'm sorry. I shouldn't be like that on your wedding day. A apologize", Jiraiya suddenly said, as if he had only just realized that today really was_ the day _. As if Naruto hadn't been giddy and nervous about today for weeks, annoying everyone around him. He wanted this day to be perfect and he wouldn't let his mentor's doubts get to him.  
"It's okay. I don't know what happened between you and Sasuke's parents that day, but I know him and I trust him", Naruto said with a smile, tugging at the sleeves of his suit.  
"Good. And who am I, not to trust your judgment?", Jiraiya answered laughing. "I should get going. Tsunade is probably going to kill me if I leave her alone with all those people any longer"._

 _Naruto nodded. "You should introduce us though. Who is she anyway?".  
For a long moment Jiraiya seemed to think about the question, as if he also didn't know who she really was, or maybe who she was to him.  
"You'll meet her after the ceremony. Promise", he said after a while with a smile on his face that Naruto found hard to interpret.  
"Alright. Have fun with the guests, ero-senin", Naruto replied with a wink as Jiraiya finally left the room. _

_He had given the man his nickname on the day they'd met, when Jiraiya had tried to peek into the girls' shower at the dojo and Naruto had caught him in the act. Ever since they'd been student and teacher; Jiraiya taught him almost everything he knew about martial arts and Naruto on the other hand kept annoying Jiraiya whenever he could. They were a perfect match._

 _And in addition to his lessons Jiraiya had always waited for him with a warm meal when Naruto had again not eaten since the day before and even Sasuke hadn't been able to feed him. Over the years the bond between student and teacher had grown strong and Naruto valued Jiraiya's opinion, but he would never let him question Sasuke._

 _With a smile on his face and the giddiness returning now that he was alone, he started to move up and down. Itachi had been very clear about not leaving their rooms until he asked them to, and Naruto wasn't gagging for finding out what would happen if Itachi found him in the hallway. But the room felt like it was suffocating him._

 _He was nervous and he wanted to be out there, in the snow, saying 'yes' to Sasuke._

 _After what felt like hours but probably only were mere minutes, he heard a sharp knock at the door.  
"Come in", he said, turning towards the now opening door in the hope to see Itachi who would tell him that all preparations were completed and the ceremony would start immediately. _

_But instead of Itachi, a mob of pink hair appeared in the doorway.  
"Sakura-chan!", he exclaimed, happy to see her. Maybe she could keep him company and distract him from his nervousness.  
"Hey, Naruto", she said in calm voice, closing the door behind her and leaning against the dark wood, both hands still around the handle behind her back as if she needed to steady herself._

" _Are you alright?", the blond boy asked, taking a few steps towards her, a little worried now.  
"Oh, yeah of course! I just wanted to see you on your big day", she said with a smile, letting go of the handle now and walking towards Naruto. As soon as she reached him, her arms closed around his neck almost desperately. _

_Naruto furrowed his brows and put both his hands on Sakura's shoulders, the girl's forehead now resting against the crook of his neck. "Are you sure you're alright? Did something happen? With Lee?", Naruto wanted to know. What was wrong with her? Usually she was all smiles and energy, but right now she seemed… drained._

 _Sakura shook her head, the pink strands of hair trickling Naruto's skin as she did so. "No, it's not Lee, Naruto. It's me! I came to apologize!", her voice was barely above a whisper and Naruto wasn't sure if she hadn't started crying already.  
"Apologize? What for?", Naruto said his voice a little high pitched.  
"For how I treated you when we were younger. How I envied you for your friendship with Sasuke while I thought he should only have eyes for me. I called you annoying in front of him!", she sobbed never raising her head from his shoulders._

 _Naruto somewhat smiled. Yeah, she had not been the nicest person when they were younger, but he had long forgiven her for that. She was his closest female friend, a fierce, strong girl who always stood up for her friends. What more could he hope for?  
"Sakura-chan… it's alright. You don't need to apologize for that. We were children. I thought I was in love with you, how ridiculous is that? We've been friends for three years now since I grew out of that illusion", he told her calmly, holing her thin body in his arms._

" _You are always the good one, aren't you?", she said, raising her head to look at him. Her green eyes were a little puffy because of the tears.  
Naruto just shrugged and flashed her a grin. "You know me. No hard feelings".  
Sakura sighed. "Right… I was pretty dumb to turn you down, wasn't I? You would have been the perfect boyfriend"._

 _Naruto laughed wholeheartedly at that. "Yeah, the perfect gay boyfriend. Sorry to disappoint you, but I think you already found your match".  
Sakura chuckled a little. The smile had returned to her face and she seemed relieved now. "We're quite a couple, aren't we?".  
"Oh yeah. I never thought you would fall for Lee, especially not after that cheeseburger incident, when he vomited on your dress".  
Sakura giggled at the memory and leaned against him for support. "I think I would have hit him if Shika hadn't taken him home before I came back from the bathroom".  
"Poor Lee. Thank God Shika saved him. But if it makes you feel better, Sasuke was pretty annoyed with me as well", Naruto said with a laugh. His nervousness was indeed gone.  
"Don't lie to me. He might have been annoyed but he still fucked you the whole weekend", Sakura relied with a wink, finally detangling herself from him. Green eyes met blue ones and she smiled happily. "Thank you, Naruto. For being the best friend a girl can have. And for forgiving me for my childish behaviour. It's a shame you're gay". _

_Naruto blushed a little, whether because of her mentioning his sex life or because she had said that it was a shame that he was gay, he didn't know._

 _Hands linked behind her back Sakura walked over to the window and glanced outside into the snow. "Oh, it seems like it's time for you to get down now. Everything's in place for the best wedding of the year", she said pleasantly surprised.  
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? Itachi said he'd come and get me".  
"Well, if Sasuke isn't going to marry someone else, I think that yes, I'm sure", Sakura replied sounding amused.  
"But- Ah never mind! Let's get down there! It's time for my wedding!"._

 _Holding his arm out for Sakura to take, Naruto walked them both out of the room and down a large staircase to the garden entrance of the hotel. Sakura bid him goodbye and went to take her seat, while Naruto still needed a few moments to clear his mind. He was really going to marry Sasuke!_

 _It was still snowing when Naruto finally stepped out of the hotel entrance onto the lawn where decorated chairs stood in rows forming an aisle between them.  
Despite the snow and the cold Itachi had managed to decorate everything with fresh flowers and burning candles. Honestly, how dare Sasuke call _him _sappy while his brother organised a girl's childhood dream?_

 _He raised his gaze to look at all their guests seated on the chairs, some of them with blankets to keep them warm in the snow. But all Naruto could see as he walked towards the chairs, was Sasuke._

 _He looked stunning in his white suit in contrast to his black hair and smoldering onyx eyes and Naruto found himself unable to tear his gaze off of him. Nothing in the world mattered but him. Not the guests, not Itachi, not the beautiful luxurious hotel in their back – only Sasuke. The man he was about to marry. And oh God how much he wanted to do that!_

 _He couldn't have fought the grin off, even if he'd tried to, and so he let the corners of his lips rise into an almost stupid grin as he started to walk towards his fiancé. It had been strange to refer to Sasuke as his fiancé in the beginning but by now it felt natural, as if there wasn't ever any doubt that they would end up getting married._

 _Naruto could feel the eyes of their guests on him while a walked down the aisle to where Sasuke was already waiting, looking at him over his shoulder with the tiniest of smiles on his lips. Those smiles were so rare and Naruto loved them so much. Seeing a smile now meant that he certainly wasn't the only one who felt absolutely happy at that moment. Suddenly his hands felt sweaty and his heartbeat sped up until he thought it would jump out of his throat._

 _Down at the end of the aisle in front of Sasuke, Itachi was already waiting for him with an amused light sparkling in his dark eyes and for one split second Naruto wondered if it had been such a good idea to have Sasuke's older brother lead there ceremony._

 _He swallowed hard when he finally came to a hold next to his fiancé and shared a short glance with him. They were both nervous, it was obvious. But who wouldn't be in their situation?_

 _Clearing his throat, Itachi tried to gain the attention not only of the guests who had been chatting quietly, but also of the bridal pair as both boys were too absorbed with each other to pay attention to their surroundings. Slowly two pairs of eyes turned to Itachi who looked more than pleased with the situation._

" _Now that I finally have your undivided attention, I want to address a few words to you and to your guests, before we start with the actual ceremony. I remember the day when my little brother, at the age of seven, got home from school telling me about that god-awful boy in his class who constantly annoyed him. He kept talking about him every day, claiming the boy was such an idiot, but one day he approached me, asking for two lunch boxes instead of one because that awful boy never brought lunch to school.  
I guess that was the moment when I knew that there was something special about Uzumaki Naruto, because no other child had ever awoken my little brother's interest", Itachi said gleefully watching the blushes on both boys cheeks._

 _Naruto glanced at Sasuke. Everyone knew how they'd become friends, but hearing it like that made it sound… cliché… sappy almost._

 _Itachi smirked and Naruto knew him well enough to know that nothing good ever followed Itachi's smirk. "It's cute, isn't it? Yeah, and that is why all your guests want to add a little story about you to the ceremony. We'll skip the part where I tell you, what to expect in the future as husbands and instead all your guests will form your ceremony together"._

 _Naruto could feel his eyes widen. He'd known that they wouldn't have a traditional wedding ceremony, but letting all their guests and friends form one huge speech was… more than he had hoped for. Next to him, Sasuke looked just as astonished as Naruto, but the small smile was still in place. They turned round to look at all their friends gathered around them and the first to rise was unsurprisingly Sakura._

" _Yeah, I guess it's my turn now to tell embarrassing stories. When Itachi told me about his idea I wanted to choose something that is typical for the two of you. I guess it's similar to what Itachi just told, but I will stick to it nonetheless", she began, looking back and forth between Naruto and Sasuke._

" _It was our school trip in 9_ _th_ _grade. The two of you had been together for a few months already and Naruto had recently changed his foster family again. He almost missed the bus that morning and the entire class had to wait, because he was late again. The only one who wouldn't complain was Sasuke. And when Naruto arrived, happy as ever, he sat next to Sasuke and kept babbling about how exited he was about the trip", Sakura paused and glanced around. Every pair of eyes was fixed on her and Naruto could see a few affectionate smiles on the lips of their guests._

" _Sasuke looked so annoyed after three hours in the bus with Naruto next to him, but when we got off the bus and the driver handed out our luggage, I realized that while Naruto only had a small backpack with barely enough cloths for a five days trip, Sasuke had actually brought two bags, one for himself and one for Naruto.  
No matter how annoying Naruto can be, Sasuke loves him and always takes care of him", she finished, flashing them an apologetic smile._

 _Naruto could feel his flush deepen. If things continued like this he would look like a tomato by the time he got to say 'yes'._

 _The next person to stand up was Shikamaru and instead of learning his speech by heart he took out a piece of paper where he'd written it all down. He cleared his throat and looked at the bridal pair. "Yeah, I absolutely remember that trip guys! But I choose something less cheesy and more… juicy for today. Remember that first martial arts tournament they had in High School?", Shikamaru asked looking around and to Naruto's horror almost all their guests started to nod and some even giggled._

 _Oh yes, he too remembered that day vividly. It had been soooo embarrassing!_

" _I promised to come and watch because Naruto had a strong opponent that day and felt pretty nervous about it. Sasuke on the other hand was as cool as a cucumber while Naruto kept bouncing around the locker room. Sasuke was first to fight and Chouji and I kept watching a few other fights after Sasuke had won his, but after a while we felt bored and decided to go and look for Naruto. We met Sakura, Hinata and Kiba on our way to the locker rooms, because they too wanted to see Naruto fight"._

 _Shikamaru stopped again, as if he needed an artistic pause before he told the best part of the story. "All of us were prepared to help Naruto with his anxiety about the fight, but what we didn't expect was to find our favorite blond pressed against a locker with Sasuke's dick up his ass. Well, it was of course exactly the way we found them both and while Naruto blushed like a virgin, Sasuke just said that it was the best way to take Naruto's mind off things", Shikamaru laughed maliciously while Naruto again turned red. Sasuke however shrugged, just like he'd done back in the locker room._

" _So, I guess we all know what their future will look like. Every time Naruto gets nervous about something, Sasuke is going to fuck him until he's forgotten about it", Kiba concluded, winking at Naruto who looked thoroughly shaken and beet red, while the guests couldn't stop to giggle and laugh at his cost._

 _It took a few minutes before silence fell again and people kept grinning and snickering instead of laughing, allowing the next person to stand up and tell a story. To Naruto's utter horror that person was no one else but Huuyga Hinata._

 _The dark haired girl smiled shyly at him and then started to speak in her low, nice voice. "Well, that certainly was a view I'll never forget", she said, referring to Shika's story. A faint red dusted over her cheeks and she averted her gaze._

 _Naruto could only guess how she felt today. Even three years after her confession she hadn't found love with someone else and still crushed on Naruto no matter how hopeless the situation was. And then there was Kiba who still hadn't grown the balls to tell her about his feelings and suffered from watching her cling to Naruto._

" _I guess my story is somewhat less… sexual… but I want to tell you about the night they got together actually", she smiled at Naruto again, being the sweet girl she always was. "That night we all celebrated New Years at Kiba's and Sasuke was a little tense. At 11:30 we started to prepare for the fireworks and didn't notice that absence of Naruto and Sasuke, at least not until five minutes to midnight. Shika went inside to look for them, but came back shortly after, telling us that those two were unavailable right now. I don't know what Shika heard or saw, but I'm pretty sure they'd just figured out their feelings for each other and I'm so happy they did, because they make such a perfect couple"._

 _Hinata sat back down after she'd ended and Naruto swallowed hard. That wasn't too embarrassing. It was exactly what you'd expect from Hinata – sweet and more innocent than the situation had really been._

 _Itachi looked more than happy with the situation as each of their guest after the other told a story about their relationship and after Hinata's tale they only got worse and worse, so that Naruto, by the time Jiraiya had told the last story, wished for a deep hole he could hide in and never come out again._

 _And yet, he felt better than ever. Here he was with the man he loved and their friend's telling stories about how well they fit together._

" _Now that we all know how you got together and that Sasuke will always make sure there is a spare shirt for Naruto to wear, it is time to focus on your future again. You choose to willingly come here today to make a vow that shall last a lifetime. And we are all gathered here as the witnesses of that promise. In the end you have to sign a paper, but the true vow you'll make today is not to the law but to each other. The law makes you husbands but your loyalty and love will make this marriage work", Itachi said now sounding more serious. He was still smiling but the mischief was gone, replaced by calm fondness. He nodded at Sakura who got up from her chair and walked up to them, carrying the two beautiful golden rings they would place on each other's fingers soon._

" _Please join your hands so you may take your vows", Itachi looked at them and Naruto could feel his heartrate speed up again. All his nervousness was back and he suddenly felt sweaty and giddy, but took Sasuke's right hand into his, meeting his eyes and swallowing hard._

 _He couldn't believe this was really happening!_

" _Good, now I ask you Uzumaki Naruto, do you swear to have and to hold Sasuke, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish him, till death do you part?", Itachi asked binding a silken ribbon around their hands.  
"Yes, I do", he answered his voice rough and his throat tight as he took the slightly smaller one of the golden rings from Sakura and, with a trembling hand, slid it onto the annular finger of Sasuke's unbound hand._

 _Itachi turned to Sasuke now, asking him the same question: "I ask you Uchiha Sasuke, do you swear to have and to hold Naruto, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish him, till death do you part?"._

 _Naruto looked at the boy in front of him, his eyes wandering between Sasuke's and their bound hands as he waited for the reply._

" _Yes, I do", Sasuke said in far steadier voice than Naruto's. He took the last ring from Sakura, never once breaking eye contact with his soon-to-be husband and slid the small trinket onto Naruto's annular finger, were it fit perfectly._

 _Satisfied with their answers and actions Itachi placed his hand on their joined ones. "Sasuke… Naruto… you have expressed your love to one another through the promises you just made, it is with these in mind that I declare you married. You have kissed a thousand times, but today the feeling is new. Today your kiss is a promise. You may kiss now"._

 _Untying the ribbon while he spoke, Itachi now nodded to each of them and the next thing Naruto felt were Sasuke's arms around him and his lips pressed against his mouth. He knew that wedding kisses usually were short and chaste, barely more than a peck, but right now he didn't care._

 _All he cared about was wrapping his arms around Sasuke to bring their bodies closer and thoroughly feel him. He was his now and Naruto would never let him go! Sasuke's tongue slid into his now-husband's mouth, promptly being greeted by Naruto's, neither of them caring for their watching guests._

 _Naruto felt warm and fuzzy and suddenly wished he could take Sasuke somewhere more private but they still had a whole day of celebration ahead of them before they would be alone tonight. But right now Sasuke didn't seem to care about any celebrations as his hands wandered down Naruto's back while their tongues rubbed against each other._

* * *

"I can't- sorry… I can't go on… it's too much", Naruto suddenly said, jumping to his feet and starting to walk up and down. He'd thought this would help, but apparently it didn't. All it did was making things worse. That day had been perfect, but the dream he'd lived back than had been shattered and now thinking about it only hurt.

"It's okay. You're not ready to move on yet", Gaara answered, getting up from his chair as well and walking towards his best friend. He placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder and looked at him with a serious expression on his face. "You shouldn't call that Sasori guy though".

"No, I shouldn't… I guess I couldn't do it, not even if I wanted to… I made a vow… for better or for worse… well now we are at our worst but I won't betray him. Not ever!", Naruto shook his head while hitting the wall with the side of his fist.

It was so frustrating! Here he was, abandoned by his own husband and yet unable to move on and date someone else, bound to him in love and loyalty. It would destroy him sooner or later, but he couldn't stop caring for Sasuke.

"Did you ever consider confronting him?", Gaara wanted to know, both hands now placed on Naruto's shoulders to keep him from hitting anything else but the wall. The blond boy had a hell of a temper.

"Yeah, Shika said I should do that yesterday, but Sasuke changed his phone number, his address, everything! I didn't even get into the UNB building last time I tried", Naruto answered remembering vividly how the security had positively thrown him out.

"Yeah, but last time you visited you weren't accompanied by the son of the major of Suna", if Naruto hadn't known better he would have sworn there was something like teasing in Gaara's voice but that was utterly impossible.

"You would come along?", Naruto exclaimed, suddenly feeling the urge to hug his best friend but restraining from doing so because he knew that Gaara wasn't too fond of physical contact.

"Of course I would. That's what friends are for"

"So it's settled! We'll go to Tokyo and confront Sasuke! And then the asshole has to tell me why he left!"

* * *

 **To be continued…**

 **That's it. They're married and Naruto is ready to take another step concerning Sasuke. Let's see how he reacts when he realizes his husband is already in Konoha ;) Next chapter will be the most important so far, because it's the last flashback chapter and includes the reason why Sasuke left and a good amount of insight into his feelings. Stay tuned!**


	8. The Beginning in the End

**Hey, guys! It's me again and this is the last flashback chapter! Woohoo! Now we finally see what happened to make Sasuke leave. I'm sure you'll have a few questions afterwards, but I'm sure some of them will be answered in the next chapters, when the plot takes up speed and our boys finally meet again. You can't imagine how much I'm looking forward to that!**

 **This chapter really was intense for me to write and I was all teary eyed by the time I finished it. Now all I want is for them to get back together XD I hope you'll like it! Have fun!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, if I did, the ending would've been quite different *g* All characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.**

 **Warning: _16+ content_! BoyXBoy – don't like don't read (and honestly if you made it this far in the story, you should know what's coming, so don't blame me :P) **

* * *

**Chapter 8 The Beginning in the End**

An hour after he'd gotten into the taxi, the car finally stopped in front of the hotel Sasuke had booked for the following days. It was one of the more luxurious ones in Konoha and would live up to the standards expected by an Uchiha. Not that he really cared about anything like that, but high class hotels usually had excellent hygiene and that was the one point he was rather picky about. Sasuke hated dirt.

To his satisfaction, the room was everything he had expected when booking it, with a large comfortable bed, a big flat screen (not that he'd use it often), and a stylish bathroom including a bath tub. He guessed he'd need the latter a few times over the next days to relax after what promised to become stressful, even painful, days.

He hadn't even thought about how to confront Naruto, yet. To be honest, right now he still lacked the guts to talk to him, too afraid of what he might find when he knocked at the door of what had once been his house.

But he already had a plan of how to change the situation. While he'd been gone, there had been one person he'd stayed in contact with, sending e-mails back and forth every once in a while. However, they hadn't done that in the last six months or so, Sasuke being too busy with the UNB to answer a simple e-mail. And even when they'd still written to each other he'd always avoided the 'Naruto-topic'. Now it was time to pay a visit to a certain person and finally bring up the one thing he'd always been scared of talking about.

That way he'd know what had changed during his absence and if he'd have to expect someone other than Naruto to open the door. The only thing he knew about his husband was that he still lived in the house they'd moved in together when they'd been eighteen; shortly after their wedding.

Sasuke's parents had agree after he'd told them that the Uchiha estate was just too big for just one person to live in and they'd even provided him with the money, not knowing he wasn't the only person moving into the new house, nor that it wasn't that much smaller than the old one. Sasuke just didn't want to live in _that_ house with Naruto.

Fortunately his parents had never once visited during the three years he'd lived with Naruto. They had deemed him old enough to get by without parental help. As if he'd ever really had that.

He sat down at the edge of the bed with a sigh. God, he was tired. Maybe he'd be able to get another few hours of sleep before visiting his contact, it was only half past ten after all and he'd barely slept last night due to his weird dreams about his husband.

Without really thinking about it, he let his hand wander to the pocket of the suit jacket he was still wearing, finding the little box in there. He took it out and opened it, just like he had yesterday. The small trinket still glistened innocently in the pale morning light that fell through the windows. Should he keep it? Did he have a right to keep it, if he wanted to divorce that man he'd gotten it from?

He remembered a time, when he'd been so proud to wear that ring and now he was hiding it every day. It felt like betraying Naruto all over again. Maybe he should just put an end to this and get rid of the thing.

He took the ring out of the box and turned it between his fingers. What had happened that he now wandered too far from the path he'd dreamed about when he was younger? Well… his father had happened and he vividly remembered the day his whole world had been shattered.

* * *

 _Bright sunlight woke Sasuke that morning in April even before his alarm went off. Okay, that didn't mean too much because it was Saturday and Sasuke had sat the alarm for 11am and even that had only happened due to his appointment in the afternoon. Usually he'd just sleep in on the weekend and wake whenever he felt like it._

 _Today however he'd have to meet an estate agent who would help him with selling the house he'd grown up in. Neither of the Uchihas intended to live there anymore and so it didn't make any sense to keep the house. Sasuke himself had moved out three years ago and never once had he returned._

 _But with the hour so early, he still had time to enjoy the morning in bed. He turned to lie on his side and put one arm under his head to support it, watching the man sleeping next to him in the bed. Naruto, his husband of three years whom he loved very much. Sasuke smiled softly, raising one hand to touch Naruto's face._

 _As always the sun kissed skin felt warm and soft under Sasuke's hand and he traced his fingertips along Naruto's jawline, sighing in content as he did so. Ever since he'd started to sleep next to Naruto on a regular basis the familiar chill had disappeared and he woke every morning feeling warm and cosy. And right now said warmth spread through his body and pooled in… certain… regions of his lower abdomen._

 _The smile turned into a smirk when his hand started to wander from Naruto's jaw down to his collarbone, lightly touching the sensitive flesh, before it traced over the hard planes of his chest, to his nipples. Naruto had gotten a man's body over the past yeasr, with broader shoulders and better defined muscles. A change Sasuke absolutely appreciated._

 _He pinched one of the pink nubs teasingly, earning him a moan from a still sleeping Naruto, who shifted in his sleep until he was lying on his back. Well, that was a position Sasuke could work with._

 _With a satisfied smile on his lips he rose from the mattress and positioned himself over Naruto, so that their faces were mere inches apart. Sasuke could feel his lover's warm breath fan over his own sensitive skin as he lowered himself to kiss along Naruto's jaw to the shell of his ear. They both had a thing for teasing the other with foreplay while they actually wanted it hard. At least when they were not asleep._

 _Naruto groaned still not waking up and encouraging Sasuke to keep messing with him. He straddled Naruto's hips and let his hand roam over the soft, warm skin of Naruto's chest again, feeling the muscles hidden underneath. He leaned down, following the path of his hands with his lips as he licked and sucked all the little places he knew would arouse Naruto if he were awake._

 _He could feel him squirm in his sleep, but Naruto didn't wake yet and Sasuke had every intention to take full advantage of the situation. One of his hands slid further down, tracing the hem of the orange boxers Naruto wore, before rubbing his still soft cock with light touches through the fabric. It wouldn't create so much friction as to wake Naruto right away, but enough to spice his dreams up a bit and make his body react._

 _Watching with satisfaction how Naruto's dick slowly hardened under the feather light touches, Sasuke lowered his head and let his tongue roll over one soft nipple, nudging it with the tip to ensure even more stimulation. Naruto moaned in his sleep and shifted a little, while Sasuke released the sensitive nub and travelled further down, circling around the navel and tracing the v-line with open mouthed kisses._

 _Naruto squirmed again, closer to waking up now, and Sasuke knew that he had to cut the foreplay short if wanted to surprise his husband the way he imagined. With a chuckle he slid in be between Naruto's legs and opened the two small buttons at the front of the orange boxers to reveal the now fully erect cock._

 _Sasuke licked his lips once, before closing them around Naruto's shaft and letting his tongue run along the hard flesh, applying pressure to it._

" _Nnngggahh", blue eyes opened, looking dizzy from sleep and yet dark with arousal as they landed on Sasuke who sucked lightly at the hot erection simultaneously running his tongue over the tip. "What… are you doing…?", Naruto croaked out, his hips flexing up to shove his dick deeper into his lover's mouth._

 _Sasuke hummed and chuckled. "Sucking you off, of course", he said, briefly letting go of Naruto's cock before taking him deep again, this time using his teeth to graze the sensitive flesh.  
Naruto, who leaned on his elbows to support himself, threw his head back and thrust up, moaning as Sasuke swallowed around his dick. He knew how to give head to his husband that was for sure._

 _He could feel the bitter taste of precum on his tongue as he traced it along the vein on the underside of Naruto's dick, up to the tip which he had released a bit, to be able to reach it. Knowing his lover was getting close made Sasuke grow hard as well._

 _Oh, how much he was looking forward to burying himself in that tight heat._

" _Ngh… Sasuke…", Naruto moaned thrusting up, his hands fisting the sheets in a tight grip, as Sasuke started to play with his balls through the thin fabric in addition to sucking harder and taking him deep again. "I'm… gonna cum…"._

 _Dark satisfaction boiled in Sasuke's chest at the words. He felt even more encouraged as he hummed around the hot flesh and looked up to have a better view of Naruto who thrust up again, arching his back as he came undone, his face a mixture of lust and bliss, all masks ripped off. His whole body was shaking and his muscles clenched when the orgasm hit him and he released into Sasuke's hot, teasing mouth._

 _Sasuke gave the now softening cock a few more tender licks with his flat tongue, prolonging the aftermath of the orgasm, before moving upwards to be face to face with his husband, who was still panting heavily, his eyes half closed and a content smile on his lips._

" _I love you, did I tell you?", he said, both hands on Sasuke's cheeks to guide him into a loving kiss.  
"Not yet today", Sasuke purred following Naruto as he lay down again. "But you will tell me again, when I'm done with you.  
"When you are done with me? What are you planning?", Naruto asked simultaneously raising his hips to bring their crotches together.  
"I'm going to fuck you till you pass out", Sasuke growled possessively.  
"Is that a promise?" _

_Instead of saying anything, Sasuke flipped their positons, making Naruto straddle him as he rubbed his hard on against the crack of his lover's ass. That should be answer enough._

* * *

 _Running a hand through his black hair, Sasuke entered the house he'd lived in for most of his life and yet did not miss. He didn't regret moving out, nor did he feel bad about selling the place. The only drawback was that his father demanded he'd come to Tokyo in person after the deal was done._

 _He had already discussed things with Naruto who had agreed it would be better to stay in Konoha and let Sasuke go to Tokyo alone. It would only be for a few days anyway, so no need to make things more stressful than necessary. Ever since Sasuke had started to work for the UNB he'd had to travel to the capitol once a month for a couple of days. The situation wasn't new to them._

 _But now he had to concentrate on the estate agent and the price he could get for the house. His father would expect him to come to Tokyo with news of a respectable amount of money._

 _Sasuke switched on the lights and looked around. The living room seemed even larger now that the furniture was gone. It was as empty as it had felt for Sasuke especially after Itachi had left. It was a relief to get rid of a place that held so many memories of a lonely childhood, always coming home to empty halls. Where would he be today, if it hadn't been for Naruto?_

 _He took a short tour through the familiar rooms, each of them connected to something the two of them had done there. They'd spend so many hours in this house, but neither of them had wanted to live here as couple. This was property of the Uchihas and despite Sasuke being one, he never really felt connected to the clan, at least not the way his father wanted him to. Sasuke had his own idea of what his family should look like._

 _He stopped in the doorway of his old bedroom. This had been where he'd lost his virginity to Naruto and vice versa. It had taken them a while to go all the way but when it had happened, it had been… amazing. He leaned against the wooden frame, appreciating the memory of when he'd felt so close to Naruto for the first time. There was no connection in the world that could compare to what he felt every time he was inside of him, and while Naruto kept asking to switch positions, Sasuke found himself unable to give in, too afraid of letting go of that feeling._

 _He sighed and went back to the living room when the doorbell finally rang. Straightening the suit he wore, Sasuke went to open the door and completely froze as soon as he saw the man on the door step.  
"Otosama", he breathed, taking a step back to let him inside; his stomach suddenly feeling strange and fuzzy. Why was he here? _

" _Hello, Sasuke", Fugaku said, entering the house without as much as a glance at his son.  
Sasuke swallowed hard. Neither of his parents had been back to Konoha since before the wedding.  
"What are you doing here?", he wanted to know, closing the front door and leaning against it for support. _

" _I'm here to help you with the house", he answered, looking Sasuke up and down. Judging.  
He suddenly felt five years old again, showing his father the grades he'd gotten at preschool just to have him frown and say that Sasuke would never live up to Itachi.  
"I don't need your help, father", he disagreed, not moving from his spot by the door. _

_Fugaku raised his eyebrows. The man was not used to people talking back to him, having his own son question his decision certainly wasn't what he'd expected._

" _I'm very capable of doing this on my own", Sasuke pressed on, gaining confidence from his father's lack of answer.  
"Are you now? We'll talk about this later. The estate agent will be here any minute and I expect you to… behave", he said, sounding as if he was talking to an infant, before turning around to examine the house. _

_Sasuke let out a breath he hadn't noticed he was holding. He hated how much his father currently tried to meddle with his life. For decades he'd disappeared to Tokyo, only visiting for the holidays and now he suddenly held an interest in his son. To hell with that._

 _A few minutes later the doorbell rang once more and Sasuke opened again, this time finding the estate agent on the steps in front of him.  
"Hello, Uchiha-san. My name is Tashikawa, I'm here to have a look at the house you want to sell", the man said flinching uncomfortably in his stiff suit.  
"Hello, Tashikawa-san. Nice to meet you, please come in", Sasuke said, stepping aside._

" _Ah, Tashikawa-san, we've been waiting for you already", Fugaku's deep voice said from the entrance to the living room, where he stood intimidating as ever with a look on his face that said 'you are beneath me'.  
"Uchiha-sama! How good to see you", Tashikawa said, bowing in front of Sasuke's father, arms pressed against the sides of his body.  
"Good to see you too. Shall we begin?", without waiting for an answer, Fugaku turned round and walked back into the living room expecting the others to follow him. _

_Tashikawa flinched and hurriedly followed Sasuke's father, leaving the youngest of the three men alone in the hallway, were he stood with his back against the front door wishing he could just leave and go back to Naruto. But instead he decided not to get on his father's bad side and trailed after them._

 _It took them about an hour to show Tashikawa-san every room so that the man could get an impression on the state and layout of the estate. He took some notes every now and then, while Fugaku kept talking about all the advantages the house had. In the end the price Tashikawa's agency was willing to pay was more than Sasuke had expected and Fugaku looked as satisfied as a man with the emotional range of a tea spoon could look._

" _With this done, I'd like to go home", Sasuke said, turning towards his father as soon as Tashikawa-san was out the front door.  
"You will do no such thing", Fugaku replied, his voice suddenly even harder than before. _

" _And why not? Is there anything else you want to discuss?", crossing his arms in front of his chest, Sasuke waited for his father to answer.  
"There is indeed. I'd like to talk to you about your husband"_

 _Sasuke felt his heart drop and heat spread in his gut like wildfire. His father knew. He knew about his marriage to Naruto no matter how hard he'd tried to hide it. Had Itachi given him away? No, he didn't believe that. But he could feel the panic rise in his chest, making it too tight to breath.  
"That's none of your business", he said through clenched teeth, not really knowing what it was, he tried to achieve. _

" _None of my business? You are my son, how can it not be of my business if my son marries another man", Fugaku said, looking grim.  
What was there for Sasuke to say? He was married to a man, yes. But he wouldn't have his father question the best decision of his life. "So what, if I am?"._

" _Sasuke. You disappoint me"_

" _Well, I've done that ever since I was born. I'm used to it. Listen, I'm here in Konoha, far away from the head office. No one knows about Naruto and me aside from you and Itachi. I'm the younger brother anyway, so I can just stay here, work in the background and you can keep my marriage a secret from the media if you want to"._

 _Fugaku looked at him for a while without saying a word. Sasuke could do nothing but hope that his suggestion was good enough and his father would agree, but he got more and more nervous the longer the silence continued._

" _You are an Uchiha, Sasuke. That's a name to be proud of. A name that survived for centuries. Do you know why? Because each and every member of the clan sacrificed something, so its name could live on. We have a legacy and that's all that lives on. Not your personal happiness, not your achievements, only the name. And I will not have it defiled by a son, who married a man", Fugaku finally said, his dark eyes boring into his son's as if they could see right into his core._

" _I don't care about that!", Sasuke yelled, desperation getting the better of him. He was scared. Sacred that his father would find a way to take Naruto away from him. "I don't want to be part of your clan! And I won't leave him!"._

" _Yes, you will", Fugaku replied in a determined yet calm voice. "Don't you think, I didn't do my research. I do know everything there is about Uzumaki Naruto. His parents died when he was an infant and he transferred from one foster family to the next. It's a miracle he even made it into college and now he's majoring in arts. Not the best perspective for the future._

" _As I said, I don't care. I love him and I make enough money to support us both. Art is what he's good at. I want him to be successful that way, even if it doesn't earn much money"_

" _If you love him as much as you say, you don't want him to end up with nothing, do you?", Fugaku asked, taking a step towards his son. They were almost the same height by know, but it still felt as if he was hovering over Sasuke.  
"What are you hinting at?", he asked, his throat tight again. This wasn't good.  
"I'm telling you that your husband could either end up without a degree, dropping out of college because he stole the ideas for his art from some else or that he could finish with good grades and a perspective of getting a respectable job. I can make him or destroy him, if I want to".  
"You wouldn't do that! You wouldn't destroy his life just because of me!"_

 _This could not be true. But who was he fooling? Sasuke had always known that, if his father ever found out about Naruto, he would do anything keep them apart. Even destroy his life._

" _Oh but I would, Sasuke. One call to the right person and your husband will never have a job or a perspective in his life. I can ruin him right now and here", he took out his phone and started to dial a number never once taking his eyes away from Sasuke's face._

" _Wait!", he exclaimed, feeling defeated. "What do I have to do?"_

 _Fugaku stopped the call and smirked. "You will come to Tokyo with me. Tonight. And you will not return to Konoha. This marriage is over. You will break up with this guy and do your duty by your family, away from him. And if I ever see you with him again or hear that you are still in contact with him, my threats will come true. What do you say? Do want to come to Tokyo with me?"._

 _Sasuke swallowed hard. He could feel the tears sting behind his eyes. A few hours ago he'd woken up in bed with Naruto, not knowing it would be the last time he'd ever get to do that. But he wouldn't cry. Not in front of his father.  
"Yes, I do, Otosama", he said his voice shaking._

" _Good. Meet me at the airport at six"_

* * *

 _Tears were running down his face as he sat at the kitchen table in the house he'd bought with Naruto three years ago. In front of him were two sheets of paper. One contained a letter, explaining everything that had happened today and that he loved Naruto. The other one was just a small note reading 'I'm in Tokyo'. He couldn't decide yet which one he'd leave for his husband to find when he came home from university later._

 _Right now all he could do, was not to look at the packed trunks in the hallway waiting for him to leave. He would never come back to this place. This was not good bye, it was farewell and the thought of never seeing Naruto again felt like an iron fist in his chest squeezing his heart._

 _He didn't want this. He wanted to stay and be with the man he loved, but if he wanted to keep him safe, he had to go. And he knew that, if he left the letter for Naruto to read, he would follow Sasuke to Tokyo and try to get him back. To be honest, that was exactly what Sasuke wished for. A part of him hoped Naruto would come home early and find him here at the kitchen table crying and talk him out of leaving, but the minutes were ticking by and soon Sasuke would have to go._

 _He just had to decide how to break up with his husband. A letter or a note. With the note, Naruto would never know what had happened. Maybe he'd think Sasuke had enough of him and move on to find someone else to make him happy. The thought alone caused fresh tears. This was so hard and it hurt so much. But he needed to do the right thing!_

 _And the right thing was to let Naruto go. To make a clean cut and not have him chase after Sasuke for years because he knew his husband had not willingly left him. It was only fair that way. For both of them. It he left Naruto the letter, he would always hope for him to show up on his doorstep. It would be torture for both of them._

 _He took the letter in his hand and a few tear drops spilled on the paper leaving wet traces there. The note was free of any sign of emotions. It would be clean and thorough. Naruto would eventually get over him and start a new, better life. He could be fine. With a good job, lots of friends and someday someone he could love again. There mustn't be any connection to Sasuke._

 _It was the hardest thing he'd ever done in his life to get up from the chair, put the letter in the pocket of his suit and take his bags, leaving only the note with those three short words written on it. He would break Naruto's heart, but it was for the best or so he kept telling himself._

 _Wiping the tears away, he left the house and walked down the street to get a cab, taking a short detour to the closest dustbin, ripping his letter into small pieces before throwing it away, so that Naruto would never know why his husband had left him from one day to another._

* * *

Sasuke closed his eyes to keep the tears away. Usually he tried not to think about that day. It had been the worst day of his life, but he couldn't regret it. Not if he had saved Naruto's future that way. He had made sure that his husband would get his degree and be able to live a normal life without the constant threat of losing everything, hovering above him.

Things were good the way they were. Everyone was happy except for Sasuke but that was a small price to pay if Naruto could lead the life he'd always dreamed about. And Sasuke still had his wedding ring and his memories of their time together. The memory of that morning when Naruto had again told him how much he loved him.

That morning had been his last moment of happiness. A shallow isle amidst the ocean that kept tossing him around every day since. He had left Konoha that day, thinking he'd never return and being back now was scary as shit, but he couldn't fight off the tiny bit of anticipation in his heart. He really wanted to see Naruto again, even if he couldn't touch or kiss him, one last conversation would have to be enough for him to live off for the rest of his life.

With a sigh he took his phone out of his pocket and dialled Itachi's number, waiting for his brother to pick up.

"Hey Otouto", Itachi's voice answered the call.  
"Hey, Aniki. I just wanted to tell you… I'm in Konoha now. I'm going to see Naruto tomorrow I guess", Sasuke said in a monotonous voice. He didn't have the strength to put up a show.  
"Listen, Otouto. Are you really sure about this? I can tell when you're hurting and right now you are"  
"Yeah, I'm sure. I have to do this. I'm an Uchiha and we have to live up to our legacy, do we not?"  
He could hear Itachi huff. "You sound like Uncle Madara. This is not you, Sasuke. The little brother I once knew would never have done that to Naruto. He loved him".

Sasuke stood there, frozen to the ground, his wedding ring in one hand, phone in the other, Itachi's words cutting deep. "What makes you think he doesn't still?", he snapped, fighting against the tears again. Fuck, this was harder than expected.  
"Well, you are hurting him wherever you can. I don't believe he hasn't suffered after you left and know you are back to make things even worse".

Without another word Sasuke pressed the end button and threw his phone onto the bed. Screw Itachi and his way of seeing right through him, making things even worse. What else should he do? Walk up to his father and tell him he wouldn't do it anymore? And then what? Go back to Konoha in the hope that Naruto would take him back? After five years?

None of that would happen. Fugaku would make one call and have Naruto unemployed and unable to pay his bills in a heartbeat and even if Sasuke wouldn't care about that, after so many years, he wouldn't expect his husband to just take him back and forget everything that had happened. It was impossible. There was no turning back.

Sasuke slid the ring on his finger, wearing it the way he had until everything had fallen apart. Fugaku could force him to leave Naruto, he could force him to live in Tokyo and marry that Karin girl, but he could not force him to forget.

And Sasuke would never forget how much he loved Naruto.

* * *

 **To be continued…**

 **There it is. Sasuke left and we know why. Next chapter the boys meet again, and there will of course be a bit of drama, for obvious reasons. I'll try to cut the painful parts as short as possible and have them work on their relationship soon, but first Sasuke needs a wakeup call and that will take two chapters or so. After that, things are gonna get better. I promise. So stay tuned!**


	9. The Welcome in the Farewell

**Hey, everyone! This update took me a while, I'm sorry. I'm so busy right now with university and cosplay, but I still try to find some time to write often enough to keep my 10-14 days deadline.**

 **The new chapter now marks the beginning of the second story arch and is also the first climax. There is of course some drama ahead of us now, but it won't take too long I promise! I just can't keep them apart for too long *g* little Sasuke just needs some help from his aniki, who will make an appearance soon. I'm also very happy to have two new characters in this chapter as I was really looking forward to introducing them! At least one of them will be of some importance later.**

 **I'm really thinking about posting this on yGallery and Tumblr but I'm not sure, especially since I have no idea how to use Tumblr XD Oh, and I'm writing a side chapter at the moment. It won't fit in here, but I'll start a new fic called 'Closer to Heaven' soon and it will contain all the chapters I had in mind for Ashes but couldn't fit them into the story! So keep your eyes open!**

 **Okay, enough of my pointless babbling, have fun with the chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, if I did, the ending would've been quite different *g* All characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.**

* * *

 **Chapter 9 The Welcome in the Farewell**

 _Are you with me after all  
Why can't I hear you  
Are you with me through it all  
Then why can't I feel you_

Half an hour after his decision to go to Tokyo and finally confront Sasuke about leaving him, Gaara said his goodbye and left Naruto to his thoughts. The weekend had so far not been what he'd expected it to be and he really needed to get out into fresh air and clear his mind. After everything that had happened and being constantly reminded of Sasuke, Naruto hoped that a run through the woods would help him clam down.

Dressed in an orange hoodie and sweatpants, he left the house, thankful for Sasuke being adamant that they should buy a house at the outskirts of Konoha back when they'd moved in together, so that he now only had to walk a few minutes uphill until he reached a farm lane that lead to a forest a few hundred meters ahead. With a sigh he fell into a comfortable pace, jogging along the solitary path between the not yet ready for harvesting corn fields.

The sun was out and a fresh wind blew a few clouds across the blue sky. The perfect weather for running, if you asked Naruto. He had always been concerned about his physical fitness, especially after he'd started with martial arts. Jiraiya had once told him that only a sound body can hold a sound mind (before ordering sake of course) and ever since, Naruto had done his best to keep in good shape. His job was undoubtably enough, and jogging usually not necessary, but it increased his stamina and that was an important part of fighting as well. No matter how good your technics are, you won't win if you run out of breath after a few hits.

Soon he reached the edge of the forest and the warming sunrays were swallowed by thick green foliage. The wind caused the leaves to rustle gently and the temperature felt a little cooler in the shade under the trees, but not at all unpleasant as Naruto's body had already warmed up from the exercise. He could feel his muscles stretch and constrict as he moved, warmth spreading through his body and his mind going blank. There was nothing but the wind, the leaves and the feeling of his moving body that drew his focus away from his thoughts and solely to his physical experience. A little like sex- at least what he remembered about it.

Naruto didn't know how long he'd been out there by the time he finally felt exhausted and distracted enough to return home, but he guessed it was almost time for dinner, which would be cup ramen again, because he had totally forgotten to go grocery shopping on Friday. But first, he'd take another shower to get rid of the sweaty feeling after his run. Warm muscles should never suddenly stop he'd learned, but be gently relaxed, for example by showering with warm, not hot, water. And that was exactly what he was going to do.

For the first time since he'd entered the wedding chapel yesterday, Naruto felt fairly relaxed and good enough to enjoy an evening in front on the TV with silly shows on the screen and a beer in his hand. Of course he could call Gaara and ask him to keep him company, but his best friend had already done enough for one day.

The moment Naruto sat down on the soft couch and switched on the TV the doorbell rang. A little surprised he got up and walked down the hallway. He didn't expect any visitors today and Gaara would usually send him a message before coming over. Sometimes Kiba visited unannounced, but Naruto sure hoped that the guy was busy doing entirely other things today.

Still not knowing what to expect, he opened the door and was again surprised by the person standing on the top step of the stairs.

"Konohamaru! What are you doing here?", he asked smiling at the boy on the doorstep.  
"Narutonii-chan! Can I come in? Do you have something to eat?", the boy asked, big dark eyes locked on Naruto with a gaze you just couldn't say 'no' to.  
"Of course. Come in. I have cup ramen, if you want"  
"Yeah! Cup ramen's great! Grandpa won't let me have them!", squealed the boy as he stepped into the hallway and took off his shoes.

Konohamaru and his grandfather Sarutobi-san lived next door, the boy's parents having died some time ago so that he had to stay with his father's father. The old man did his best in raising his grandson, but sometimes he just reached his limit with the energetic boy who reminded Naruto somewhat of himself when he'd been the same age. Konohamaru went to Elementary School and would soon be eight years old. Whenever Sarutobi-san couldn't care for him the way he wanted to, the boy would come over and spend a few hours with Naruto, quite often haven dinner at his house.

"Okay, just go into the living room. I'll prepare the food and you can watch some TV if you want", Naruto said, shooing the boy down the hallway.  
"Aye, Narutonii-chan!", Konohamaru nodded eagerly, skidding off into the living room, where he took the remote control and started to switch through the channels. Naruto smiled fondly and walked into the kitchen, to prepare two cups of ramen, one with miso and pork for himself and one with vegetables for Konohamaru. He knew that the boy wasn't too eager about green stuff, but he was still growing and needed the vitamins (whatever was left of them in instant ramen).

The television could be heard from the living room as Konohamaru had finally chosen a channel to watch. To Naruto's surprise it seemed to be a news channel, because he could hear the newsreader's voice.  
"Now to the local news", the woman said in perfect, dialect free Japanese. "Yet another child has gone missing in Konoha. Nine years old Isaribi was last seen by her friends after school before heading back home, where she never arrived. She has short dark brown hair, dark eyes and wore a green sweater and jeans when she left the house Friday morning. Rumour has it that the girl was abducted by the same person little Mamoru had been held captive by. The body of the six years old boy had been found near the highway last week aft-". The voice abruptly broke when Konohamaru changed the channel in search for animes.

Five minutes later Naruto and his young visitor were seated on the sofa, each of them with a hot streaming cup of ramen in front of them and the latest episode of Once Piece playing on the screen.  
"So, how's school?", Naruto asked between two bits of pork.  
Konohamaru looked up from the screen and smiled. "It's fine. Ebisu-sensei's really nice, just a bit… too motived sometimes. But I like him".  
"That's good. If you need help with homework just ask, okay?"  
"Thanks Naruto-nii! I will not disappoint you! I swear!"  
Naruto chuckled and ruffled Konohamaru's dark brown hair. "As if you could disappoint me!", he said before slurping some more noodles.

He really liked the boy and wanted to help him so that life wouldn't be as hard for him as it had been for Naruto when he was Konohamaru's age. He would have been really lonely if it hadn't been for Sasuke. Konohamaru at least had his grandfather, who was a very calm and nice man whom Naruto often talked to when they met on streets. He few months ago he'd also admitted Konohamaru in his dojo, where the boy could train after school and make new friends.

"Narutonii-chan?", he suddenly said, turning towards the older boy.  
"Yeah?"  
"What happens when Ojichan has to go to the hospital?"

Naruto blinked as Konohamaru and shifted a little on the sofa turning his body towards the boy. He wanted to give him his full attention. "Why would your Ojichan go to the hospital?".  
"I think he's sick", the boy said, squirming uncomfortably and pulling his legs under his body to become smaller.  
"What makes you think that?", Naruto asked carefully, trying not to show worry in his voice because he didn't want to upset the boy any further.  
"He's always coughing, especially at night and when we play a gets really tired really quickly", Konohamaru explained, his hopeful gaze still locked on Naruto.  
"Well, I don't think your Ojichan has to go to the hospital, but if he does, you'll stay with me of course. I'd look after you until he'd be better. Promise", Naruto said stroking some strands of hair out of Konohamaru's face.  
The boy launched forward and threw his arms around Naruto's neck. "Thank you, Narutonii-chan!", he squealed in delight before letting go and turning back to the TV as if nothing had happened.

Naruto smiled and got up to take their empty ramen cups back into the kitchen. What Konohamaru had told him, had him worry. Sarutobi-san wasn't quite so young anymore and Naruto knew that he had trouble with his right cardiac valve. He just hoped that the symptoms Konohamaru just spoke about, weren't too serious. But he'd meant what he'd said – if anything should happen to Sarutobi-san, he would care for Konohamaru and not let him be dragged into the foster system.

* * *

Later that afternoon, after Sasuke had taken a little nap and showered, he decided to put his plan into action and gather some information on Naruto. He just needed to know what to expect once he rang the doorbell. And he knew just the perfect person to ask. Well, and probably the only one of their former friends who wouldn't slam the door in his face, or worse a fist.

At precisely 16:22pm Sasuke knocked at the door to Hyuuga Neji's apartment. Hinata's one year older cousin had always been the one Sasuke had gotten along best with, because he was the least noisy and annoying person in their group. To give her the credit, Neji's long-time girlfriend Tenten also wasn't too bad either.

The door opened, and surprised lilac eyes stared at Sasuke for a moment, before recovering from the sight of his unexpected visitor.  
"Sasuke-san! Well, that's a surprise", Neji said taking a step back to let Sasuke in. "What brings you to Konoha?"  
"Hey, Neji. I apologize for the sudden visit, but I have a few… unexpected things… to deal with in Konoha and thought I'd drop by", Sasuke explained a little vague, putting his shoes on the shoe rack and while Neji politely took his jacket from him.  
"No problem. I just came home from work. Tenten's not yet here though".  
"That's okay, I wanted to talk to you anyway".

Neji's strange, yet beautiful eyes looked him over for a brief second before the man nodded in understanding.  
"As you wish. Let's go to the living room. Talking is better done in a relaxing atmosphere", he said almost a little business like and Sasuke could bet that this was also the way Neji dealt with his clients at work.

Just like Sasuke, Neji was born into a powerful family with great reputation, but other than him, Neji was just part of the 'branch family' (the son of second born Hyuuga in the former generation) and therefore couldn't inherit anything. His younger cousin however was born into the 'head family' and would one day be CEO of the Hyuuga Company, even if Neji was better suited for the position. Hinata was a nice girl and that was exactly were Sasuke saw the problem. She was too nice for a job like this, where you had to make unpleasant decisions which would probably hurt other people.

Naruto had always insisted that Hinata would one day change the Hyuuga for the better, maybe even break the endless circle of head and branch family, but Sasuke had his doubts about it. He knew that she already worked for the company, but she wasn't CEO yet, because her father remained in that position and the work Hinata had done so far was not outstanding enough to make Sasuke believe that she could change anything.

Just like he couldn't change the Uchiha clan and its rules.

"Want something to drink?", Neji asked once they reached the quite traditionally furnished room.  
"Green tea would be nice", Sasuke said sitting down on a cushion next to a low table.

Neji nodded in understanding and disappeared through a door that probably led into the kitchen. Other than the Uchiha, the Hyuuga had always attached importance to Japanese traditions and Neji had of course inherited their believe in maintaining the old ways.

A few minutes later he reappeared with two traditional cups and a small pot of tea, pouring out some tea for each of them before he sat down on the cushion opposite to Sasuke.

"So, what kind of business brings you to Konoha?", Neji asked turning the small cup between his fingers.  
Sasuke sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Why beat around the bush if the truth would anyway come to light eventually? "I'm here to meet Naruto", he said trying to steady is slightly shaking voice.  
Neji raised both eyebrows in surprise. "Naruto? I thought you choose your family over him?", he asked, his voice calm. Although Neji didn't know the truth about Sasuke departure either, he had never judged him nor questioned his decision. Maybe that had been the reason why they'd stayed in contact.

"Yeah, I did. That's exactly why I'm here. I need a divorce and he needs to sign the papers. I'm marrying again, you know", Sasuke explained, taking a sip from his tea so that he could hide his face behind the cup just in case any of his true feelings showed on his features.  
"I understand. Well, that will come as a surprise to him I guess, but maybe he's ready to move on. At least Shikamaru tried to convince him to do that yesterday", Neji stated, eyes fixed on Sasuke, who still held his cup to his lips.  
"Yesterday?", he asked, blinking for a second.  
"It was Hinata's wedding yesterday", Neji sounded a little apologetic as he realized that Sasuke hadn't known about two of his former friends getting married. He had never been exactly close with Hinata and Kiba, and hadn't expected an invitation of course, but not even knowing about such a big event felt… bitter.

"Ah, yes that was foreseeable, wasn't it? I mean Kiba had a crush on her since… first day of middle school? But what do you mean 'ready to move on'?", Sasuke wanted to know, being far more interested in his husband than Kiba's and Hinata's love story.  
"I mean that he might finally be able to start over. You know, like find someone else to be with instead of waiting for you to come home", Neji said matter-of-factly.  
"He… isn't with some else…?"  
Neji shook his head, looking at Sasuke as if he'd just asked the most stupid question ever. "You know him best, Sasuke. He's loyal to the end. He's never been with anyone else. Not even for a night or a kiss. It's always been only you. That divorce is the thing he really needs; it's time you set him free at last".

Sasuke swallowed hard. What had he expected to hear? What had he wanted to hear? A small part of him wanted Naruto to move on, the bigger part though, wanted him all to himself, but knowing that Naruto had never moved on made his heart constrict painfully and his throat tighten to an extend that he thought he couldn't breathe anymore.

"He… never?", he croaked out, his voice rough.  
"No, never. He's still wearing his wedding ring unlike you. Sasuke, I'm not judging you for moving on. The two of you broke up with each other five years ago. It's only normal that you found some else and want to marry again. Don't feel bound to Naruto because of this. He'd doing fine. He has his dojo with Gaara and friends he can count on. Don't worry", Neji added, finally smiling at Sasuke.

Naruto had not moved on… at least not when it came to relationships. What did it matter that he owned a dojo with Gaara and had a good life, if he still clung to Sasuke who was hundreds of miles away? Was Neji right? Had Sasuke been cruel to keep Naruto tied to him by staying married? Was he doing him a favour with the divorce, finally giving him the change to find someone who'd make him happy?

"The dojo's successful?", he asked in an attempt to change the topic. He didn't want to hear any more about how Naruto remained loyal to him after everything he'd done.  
"Yeah, I think so. He and Gaara are quite good together. They make a great team. I wouldn't be surprised if the two of them end up as a couple. I guess the only thing that's keeping them apart is you", Neji explained, not making things any better.  
"Well… that's good, I suppose. Thank you for the tea, Neji. I'll be on my way now though", Sasuke said, rather abruptly getting up from his cushion and almost fleeing from the apartment. He needed some time alone to wrap his mind around the things he'd just learned.

* * *

Sasuke felt like a creepy stalker as he sat in his car in front of Naruto's dojo barely twenty-four hours later. One of his employees had delivered the Lexus earlier that day and Sasuke had decided to put his new mobility to good use and have a look at the life Naruto lived now.

So far he hadn't been brave enough to actually knock at his husband's door, but kept watching him instead, unsure of what to think or feel about the whole situation. And there he was, in front of the traditional wooden building, bidding some children goodbye while talking to the parents who came to pick up their offspring.

The soft spring breeze was playing with his blond hair; the blue eyes were bright with joy and right their behind his back was Gaara, impassive and silent but steady. Naruto seemed relaxed around him, as if it was the most natural thing in the world to have him there.

Had it been the same with Sasuke?

He sighed and pressed his forehead against the steering wheel, closing his eyes.  
 _Fuck, it hurts!_ he thought, trying to steady his breathing. Had he known how hard this was gonna be, he'd probably just send his attorney to deal with the situation. But he was here now, and he was an Uchiha. Uchihas never back down from a challenge.

He would do, what he had originally come here to do and follow Naruto home after work today, knock at his door and tell him about the divorce. Then he'd go back to his hotel, tell his attorney to send the papers over and make Naruto sign them as soon as possible so that he'd be able to return to Tokyo and forget all the things he'd left behind.

Meanwhile Naruto said his last goodbyes to the leaving parents and turned to Gaara, placing a hand on his shoulder while talking to him. What he was saying Sasuke couldn't understand, but the intimate gesture he shared with the red haired man made his chest burn with irrational jealousy. It wasn't his place to be jealous anymore, but maybe to would be Gaara's soon.

The two men left the front porch and went back inside leaving Sasuke to his thoughts while he waited for Naruto to come back out. The minutes seemed to stretch endlessly and Sasuke was close to just driving back to the hotel, when the two dojo owners finally left the building. Naruto pulled Gaara into a close hug before letting go of him and waving goodbye at him.

Sasuke followed Naruto's small car keeping sufficient distance for the other man not to notice him. He parked his car a few meters down the street and only followed after Naruto had entered the house they'd bought together.

* * *

Naruto's work day had been quite enjoyable and he felt so much better than the day before. Training with his students always helped cheering him up, no matter how down he felt. After Jiraiya's death he'd spent days in the dojo either training the kids or sparring with Gaara and it had really helped him to deal with the loss of the man he'd considered a father. The same had applied for his Sasuke-problem from yesterday. A good run through the woods and some training at the dojo had lightened his mood.

Gaara had still been quite concerned about him today and Naruto really appreciated his best friend's attempts to cheer him up. He didn't know what he'd do without him. By now, he felt good enough not to think about Sasuke every few minutes and was looking forward to a relaxed evening with the new episode of The Walking Dead.

He entered the kitchen, determined to cook dinner for once instead of having instant ramen, now that he'd done his groceries, and switched on the radio. A few minutes later he was dancing to Phil Collin's On my Way, singing loudly along without striking the right chord even once, when the doorbell rang again.

Naruto put the broccoli he was currently cutting away, wiped his wet hands dry and headed for the front door.

"Konohamaru, it's vegetables tonight. You won't like it", he said as his opened the door, eyes growing wide at the sight waiting for him. Reflexively, he threw the door shut again, panting hard as a burning sensation spread through his guts.

Without seeing, he stared at the now closed door. He must have imagined it, right? That couldn't be Sasuke outside, could he? No, of course not. Sasuke was in Tokyo, not here.

"Open the damn door, dobe", an all too familiar voice said from the other side. Naruto stared at the doorknob, slowing reaching for it, as if in trance. Swallowing hard he finally opened the door again, this time knowing what to expect on the other side. Not that it made things any easier.

"Teme…", he whispered, staring at the man waiting on the stairs. He looked exactly like he'd done the day he'd left. Those dark, smouldering eyes, the soft raven hair framing the handsome face. All Naruto wanted to do was touch him… kiss him… hold him close… but he was frozen. Unable to move he could just stare at his husband whom he hadn't seen in five years. And yet it felt as if Sasuke had never been gone at all. As if he just came back from work, about to greet Naruto with a kiss.

"Are you letting me in, or are we gonna stand here for the rest of the night?", Sasuke asked, looking Naruto over with his unfathomable eyes.  
"Oh… yeah… come in", Naruto mumbled, stepping aside. Their arms brushed briefly as Sasuke walked past him. The magic was still there.

"Do you… uhm… do you want something to drink?", Naruto asked, leading Sasuke down the hallway as if he were a stranger and not the man who'd paid for most of the house.  
"No thanks. I just want to talk"

Naruto nodded, the burning sensation not getting any better. He was anxious about the situation. Why was Sasuke here all of a sudden? What did he want? Was he going to come back? Did he want to apologize and ask Naruto to take him back? Of course he would… he would take him back anytime, no matter what had happened! He still loved him so much. Just seeing Sasuke send Naruto's brain into overdrive and brought back all the feelings he thought he'd never experience again.

"So… what do you want to talk about?", he asked, his voice rough from the mixture of fear and hope that battled inside of him. This moment could either save or destroy him for good. All his dreams of the past years could finally come true, or his fears.

Sasuke sat down on the couch and made a gesture for Naruto to sit as well. "Naruto, I'm here, because I have to ask you for something", he said his voice steady and clam.  
Naruto sat down next to him, his upper body turned towards him, blue eyes glued to black ones. "Just ask!", he replied, unable to stifle his fidgeting.

"I want us to have a divorce", Sasuke said after taking a deep breath, his voice never once shaking as he said the words that shattered Naruto's world.

He could feel his throat constrict, cutting of his breath as the tears threateningly burned behind his briefly closed eyelids. His worst fears just came true. Sasuke didn't want him anymore. He had moved on and wanted to cut their bond for good now.

The ring on his right annular finger suddenly felt unbearable.

"Why?", he croaked, knowing that his voice was breaking from the pain. "Why would you want something like that?".

Had Sasuke finally fallen out of love with Naruto? Or did he meet some else? Was he in a new relationship? It would hurt to know that Sasuke had found someone he loved more than he did Naruto, but if that was the case, he would let his husband go. He wanted Sasuke to be happy and if there was a person who could achieve that, Naruto was willing to suffer for his lover's sake.

Sasuke sighed, looking a bit annoyed. "Listen, Naruto. Please don't make this harder than it has to be, for the both of us. My father chose a bride for me. She's waiting for me back in Tokyo and when I come home I'll have to marry her. I can't do that as long as we are married. So I need you to agree to a divorce".

Naruto blinked. From one second to the next the pain was gone, being replaced by… fury!  
"What?", he yelled, getting up from the couch to stand in front of Sasuke. "Are you fucking kidding me, you asshole?"  
"Naruto, please. Stay clam", Sasuke pleaded raising his hands in a calming gesture.  
"The hell I will! Damn you, Sasuke! How can you do that? How can you throw away everything we had for a woman you don't love?"  
"That's none of your business!", Sasuke now yelled back. He'd gotten up as well and positioned himself in front of Naruto, arms crossed in front of his chest.  
"None of my business? Fuck you! You're my husband!"  
"That's what I'm about to change, moron!".

Naruto took a step back. It hurt to hear Sasuke say that, but Naruto wasn't going to give up on the love his life for some arranged marriage his father had chosen for him. Sasuke might be an Uchiha, but Naruto sure as hell wasn't and he wouldn't follow their sick rules.

"Forget it! I'm not signing that shit. If you want a divorce, force me into one!", he yelled, his eyes ablaze with anger.  
"I can't do that. The press would be on us in seconds. Please Naruto, listen to reason", Sasuke replied, calmer than before, but Naruto only shook his head.  
"No, Sasuke. I'm not going to sign it. I'm not letting you go so you can go and marry someone who will never make you happy", he said, sadness returning to his voice instead of anger.

Sasuke stared at him dumbfounded, his Adams apple bobbing up and down as he swallowed. "This is not about me being happy", he admitted after minutes of silence.

Naruto watched his husband intently. He was hurting too, it was obvious to those who new Uchiha Sasuke well enough and who would know him better than Naruto?  
"What happened?", he asked softly, taking a step towards Sasuke and placing a hand on his shoulder. They were so close now that he could smell his husband's cologne. The same he had used all those years ago.

"Nothing happened. I'm an Uchiha, I have to live up to our legacy and producing an heir is part of that as well", he said as if it was the most normal thing in the world to marry someone just to ensure a family name would live on.  
"Well, thank God I'm just an Uzumaki and Uzumakis can do whatever they want", Naruto said, not taking the hand away. "And I want to stay married to you. For better or for worse, 'til death do us part, remember?".

Something flickered in Sasuke's eyes, making them shine in a warm light for a moment so short that Naruto almost believed he'd imagined it, but the atmosphere was real. He could feel Sasuke's breath on his lips, warm and comforting. They were so close. One step would be enough and they'd be kissing. He just knew that Sasuke wanted it too.

"I can't. I'm sorry", Sasuke said, suddenly shoving Naruto away from him. The magic was broken and left Naruto hollow to the core.  
"Why not?", he demanded, feeling furious again. "You still love me, why don't you want to be with me?"  
"This isn't about what I want! It's about what I have to do! And I have to get rid of you for good!"

The words cut deeper than any knife could do, but Naruto wouldn't cry. Not now, not in front of Sasuke. Instead he tried to focus the pain into anger again. It was easier that way. "Get out!", he said through clenched teeth.

"As you wish. But… think about it… and call me when you've come to you senses", Sasuke took a business card out of the inside pocket of his dress jacket and put it on the sideboard by the door.

"The hell I will! Fuck you and you're fiancé! Now get out!"

Sasuke sighed again, but nodded in agreement, before he walk out of the room.

A few seconds later Naruto heard the front door being shut and fell onto the couch, tears finally running down his cheeks as the pain took over his heart, suffocating the anger that had still been there only moments ago.

His worst nightmare had just come true and he was frozen in shock.

* * *

 **To be continued…**

 **Okay… that last part was quite hard to write and I'm so glad I'm done with it… The next two chapters are gonna be a bit angsty but you'll already see the hints at what is to come afterwards (when Itachi finally works his magic *cough cough*).**


	10. The Sober in the Drunk

**Hey, guys! This update happened a bit faster than the last one! There's still some drama in here, but I think you can also catch on the first hints of what is to come. I really liked having Sasuke and Gaara interact face to face – should write those scenes more often :P Next chapter Itachi will finally show up *g***

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, if I did, the ending would've been quite different *g* All characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.**

* * *

 **Chapter 10 The Sober in the Drunk**

He couldn't believe it! He really couldn't! What the hell had just happened? He felt like he'd fallen into one of his nightmares only that this time he didn't wake up from it. Instead he felt as if Sasuke had punched a hole through his chest just by using the right words.

And God… it hurt.

What was he supposed to do now? Just give in and sign the papers? No… that would mean he'd never get to see Sasuke again and no matter how much it hurt, Naruto wanted to see him. This marriage was the last leverage Naruto had over Sasuke and he wouldn't give up on that.

Naruto didn't know how long he'd been sitting on the sofa after Sasuke had left, silently crying and unable to wrap his mind around what had happened. Somewhere deep inside he'd still believed that the two of them would get back together, because that was the way it had always been. Just the two of them. But that hope had been shattered and he felt like he'd suddenly awoken in a much darker world. Was that what life would look like from now on? Without Sasuke?

He couldn't believe that the love of his life had really just broken up with him. He'd never been through a breakup, but right now it felt like someone had ripped his heart out of his chest and kept squeezing it. This was something that only happened to other people. He'd seen couples break up, but had always assumed that he and Sasuke wouldn't be among them one day. But that day had just come and it really was the worst day of his life.

Naruto buried his head in his hands and put his feet on the edge of the couch, bending his knees so that he could hide behind his legs. Usually he would never let something bad affect him that much, but with Sasuke things had always been different and much more intense.

Next to him, his phone started to buzz and Naruto raised his head for a moment, seeing Gaara's number on the bright screen. Should he take the call? He wouldn't be able to hide his current condition from his best friend; Gaara would instantly know that something had happened and that would force Naruto to tell what Sasuke had just done. With a sigh he took the phone and rejected the call. Right now, talking about this whole mess didn't feel like the best idea.

He closed his eyes again, feeling the tightness in his chest that came with the pain of knowing that Sasuke was now truly gone from his life and all his hopes shattered. He needed to wrap his mind around the fact that from now on he really had to exist with the knowledge that his marriage truly was over.

The tiny golden ring on his hand suddenly seemed to mock him.

What had he been thinking, wearing it all those years? It was retrospectively the most ridiculous thing he had ever done.

The phone started to buzz again, flashing Gaara's number at him. Was it something important? Had Gaara met Sasuke by any chance and already knew what was going on? That sounded awful, all his friends knowing that Sasuke had just dropped him like a hot potato. Again he pressed the 'end call' button, sending it to his mailbox.

Only seconds later the screen sprang back to life, this time showing a text from Gaara.

 _I'm going to call you again. If you don't pick up I'll come kick your door in. Your choice._

Naruto looked at the message and sighed. He really wanted to keep his door undamaged. So when the phone started to buzz again he picked it up and pressed the green button, taking the call.

"Yes?", he said into the speaker his voice hoarse from crying.  
"What happened?", Gaara asked harder than usual.  
"Nothing"  
"Don't lie to me, Naruto. You never reject my calls, especially not twice. What's going on?"

Naruto sighed again, feeling the tears sting in his eyes just by thinking about telling what had just happened. Voicing it seemed to make it all more real than it had so far been.

"Sasuke came by. He wants a divorce". Strange how a few short words can affect you, but they were enough to slap Naruto in the face with full force.  
"He did what?", Gaara asked, for the first time really showing emotions.  
"He knocked at my door to tell me that he wants to divorce me, so he can marry some girl his father chose for him", Naruto explained his voice sounding bitter all of a sudden. It felt like the worst possible betrayal, to be dumped not for the sake of love but for a family legacy that Sasuke usually couldn't care less about.

There was silence on the other end of the line of a long while and Naruto almost believed that Gaara had hung up. "I'm sending Kiba over to keep you company. You shouldn't be alone right now. I'll join you later", he said after minutes of silence, more calmly than before.  
"I don't want company. I want to be alone right now", Naruto replied not wanting to have Kiba over and suffer through his feeble attempts to cheer him up when all he wanted to do was hide in his bed for a while to lick his wounds.  
"Absolutely out of the question! You are not going to sit alone in that big house of yours, taking out pictures of better times to agonize over that asshole"  
"I wasn't planning on doing that. I just… want to be alone right now"  
"We are not arguing about this, Naruto. I will send Kiba over. You are not staying alone tonight", Gaara insisted a bit annoyed. "I'll be over soon as well. Just need to take care of a few things first". With that he finally hung up, leaving Naruto alone in his suddenly far too quite living room.

Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea to have Kiba over after all. With Sasuke gone for sure the house seemed darker and less inviting, as if he'd just been a guest and now was the time to finally leave. And that he would. As soon as this nightmare had calmed down a bit he would go look for a new apartment; one that held no memories of Sasuke, but would allow Naruto to build a new life where his husband was nothing but a shadow of the past without meaning while Sasuke lived in Tokyo having kids with his new wife, playing happy family for the rest of his pitiful life.

Naruto raised his head and let his gaze wander over the furniture and other interior of the room. Most of the things in here belonged to him and Sasuke; he hadn't changed much since his husband had _moved out,_ because he had always wanted him to instantly feel at home once he came back. How stupid of him. Now all the little things in their living room seemed to laugh at him for his naivety. How silly could he be?

A few minutes or maybe half an eternity, Naruto really didn't know, later the doorbell rang again, shaking him to the core as he got up. He half expected to find Sasuke outside again, but it was Kiba of course, wearing a pained expression on his usually so cheerful face.

"Hey, mate. Gaara told me. Thought you could use some company and beer", the man said, raising the sixpack of beer he was carrying.  
"Drinking sounds like a far too good idea. Come in", Naruto stepped aside and tried to smile at his friend. He knew he'd been drunk just two days ago but he couldn't bring himself to care. If it would help him to forget, he was happy to face the hangover again tomorrow morning.

They entered the living room and took their seats on the sofa. Kiba handed Naruto one of the beer bottles, opening it with a practiced move of just his right hand. "Now, tell me exactly what happened", he said in a serious tone.

Naruto took a rather large gulp from his bottle, before he placed it on the coffee table and turned his upper body to face the friend next to him.  
"It's quite simple", he said, an ironic smile that wouldn't really fit him, gracing his lips. "He knocked at my door, walked in and told me he wanted a divorce, so he can marry some bitch his father wants him to". Naruto grimaced at the thought and took another gulp. Maybe a sixpack of beer wouldn't be enough tonight.

"What do you mean, 'marry some bitch'?", Kiba asked sounding surprised. He hadn't touched his own beer yet, dark eyes locked on Naruto in utter disbelieve. "You were the only person he ever wanted to marry".  
Naruto huffed. "Well, that changed, apparently. Now all he wants is to fuck her for his family name". He couldn't stifle the bitterness and disappointment in his voice, too great was the feeling of betrayal and loss. All he thought he'd known about Sasuke was lost now, and it hurt.

"Doesn't really sound like him, does it?", Kiba mused, turning the untouched bottle in his hand. It wasn't like him to be so pensive, but at that very moment he stayed calm instead of being his usual explosive self and get all passionate about what he'd just heard. Something about Naruto's story just didn't fit with what Kiba knew about Uchiha Sasuke.

He remembered his two friends getting together and the conversation he'd had with Sasuke shortly after, about how Kiba would rip his balls off if he just played Naruto. But Sasuke had been totally serious about this relationship as long as Kiba could think and his latest change in behaviour seemed strange – it didn't really fit Sasuke.

"I don't care what it sounds like, anymore. The man I met today has little in common with the man I married", Naruto said with a sigh, quaffing the rest of his beer and reaching for a new one right away. He couldn't remember ever feeling this depressed. Usually he would at least keep up his cheery façade, but today was an exception – today he was willing to drown his sorrows and let Kiba see it all.

"Listen, mate. Drinking isn't gonna make it better. He won't come back just because you keep drinking like that", Kiba said sounding a little worried. Maybe he shouldn't have brought the beer, but then again he'd thought that maybe it would make Naruto relax a little, which couldn't hurt in a situation like this. But now it seemed that Naruto would most likely just drink to forget how much it hurt to have lost the person you loved the most.

"No he won't. But maybe I'll be able to sleep tonight if I just keep drinking enough", Naruto retorted taking another gulp from his second bottle.  
Kiba shook his head at him. "So, what exactly happened? He just walked in and told you he wants a divorce? Anything else?"

Naruto paused for a moment, looking at the bottle as if it held answers to all the questions currently occupying his mind. "No…", he said slowly, finally looking up to meet his friend's gaze. "He told me that there's a girl he wants to marry… the one his father choose… he said he'd have to live up to his family name". Naruto's voice was barely more than a pained whisper. "And then… he almost kissed me…".

Kiba, who had just taken the first sip from his beer, coughed against the rim of the bottle, effectively hitting his teeth on the hard glass. "He did what?"  
"He almost kissed me", Naruto repeated, looking into his beer again.  
"Hang on. Just so I get this right: He came to tell you he wanted a divorce and then he almost kissed you?"  
"Jip, that's what happened".  
"How? I mean… how did the two of you end up almost kissing? And why just 'almost'?".

Naruto sighed again, running a hand through his messy blond locks. "When he told me he wanted to marry just for the good of his family I refused to agree to the divorce. We started to argue and suddenly – he was fucking close all of a sudden! And all I could think about was how much I wanted to kiss him… And I could see that he felt exactly the same but… the moment broke and he left…".

Kiba turned his head to better look at his friend, who suddenly sounded far more pained when before. The bitterness was gone from his voice and all that remained was anguish. He had never seen Naruto cry, but now one silent, lonely tear rolled down his cheek.

There was silence for a time, before Naruto stared to drink again.  
"I think there is still hope", Kiba said after a while, watching the bottle in his friend's hand.  
"Why would you think that?"  
"Well, if he wanted to kiss you, he still has feelings for you. He didn't stop loving you. Not even after five years apart. He loves you just as much as you love him. Something must have happened that makes him act like this", it was the only conclusion that made sense to Kiba and he wasn't willing to believe that Sasuke had ever fallen out of love with his husband. Not after the look he'd seen on the man's face on the day of their wedding. There had been a dark possessiveness that had almost scared Kiba, but at the same time he'd known for sure that Uchiha Sasuke would never leave Uzumaki Naruto's side – not if he had any say in it.

* * *

 _Fucking shit!_ Sasuke thought as he slammed the door of his hotel room shut behind him. That absolutely didn't go the way he'd expected it to and now all he wanted to do was go back to that house, kick in the door, grab Naruto and kiss the living daylights out of him. The dark, possessive coiling in his guts was going crazy at the thought alone and he did his best to will it down. Never had he expected his buried feelings to come back like that.

It had always been a dark urge that had drawn him to Naruto, but Sasuke had considered it gone after so many years apart. However, the beast had sprung back to live the second he'd laid eyes on his husband, filling him with that familiar _need_ to touch and mark, so no one else would touch what was his. It felt like a fucking curse.

His throat was dry and his eyes stung, as his fell on his bed, feeling more exhausted than he had in weeks. How had he ever thought it would be easy to just walk up to Naruto and tell him they were over? Especially when his own heart betrayed him like that, urging him to close the distance between them. But Sasuke knew he couldn't do that. Once he crossed that line again there was now going back.

He glanced at the innocent looking papers on the desk in his room. The receptionist had told him that they'd arrived, as soon as Sasuke had entered the lobby of the hotel. His divorce papers were ready; all it needed was for Naruto and him to sign them. Afterwards it would be as if they'd never been together in the first place. It would free Naruto of his bond and give him the opportunity to start something new, maybe with Gaara.

The thought made his chest constrict in jealousy, but he knew he had no right to be jealous. Naruto had never asked for this and it was Sasuke who demanded a divorce. It was him, who was about to cut all ties and he also had to live with the consequences even if he didn't like them.

He had only seen Gaara once or twice before he'd left Konoha, but he remembered Naruto and him getting along perfectly well right from the start – even to an extend that had make Sasuke feel jealous back then. He knew that Gaara would make a good partner for his husband, so he'd be happy and able to forget about Sasuke. The thought stung, but he knew it was necessary like that.

He didn't know how long he'd laid on his bed, letting his mind wander, thinking about Naruto, when there was a sharp knock at the door. Sasuke rose from his position and looked at the dark wood. Was it Naruto? Did he come to agree to their divorce? Did Sasuke want him to?

He sighed and looked at the divorce papers again. Should he hide them? Pretend they hadn't arrived yet? Just in case it really was Naruto… No. he'd come to Konoha to end this and he wouldn't let his feelings get in the way of what was necessary.

Straightening his back, he walk to the door and opened it, blinking when he saw a mob of red hair in front of it.  
"Sabaku?", he asked, looking at the man in question. This close, Sasuke could perfectly see to what extend the man had changed since they'd last been face to face. Five years ago Gaara had been quite hard and bitter about his bad relationship with his father, who blamed his son for his wife's untimely death.

The Gaara in front of Sasuke's door however was still impassive, but there was something soft about his features that betrayed the changes the man had gone through in the last years. The only thing that gave away his feelings was his eyes, ablaze with anger.

"Uchiha…", he said, sounding like a lion hunting a sheep. Those clear green eyes held something dangerous, but Sasuke wasn't willing to let the man get under his skin. He already knew why Gaara was here and he was determined to stand his ground, even in front of Naruto's protective friends.

"What can I do for you?", he asked in a low voice, not taking a step back, but efficiently blocking the door.

Gaara's gaze roamed over him, taking in every detail of Sasuke's appearance, from the missing suit jacket to the slightly wrinkled shirt. He was judging him and it was just impossible to read what conclusion the man came to.

"I wanted to talk to you", Gaara answered with a polite smile that never reached his eyes. It was downright creepy if you asked Sasuke, but he did his best not to show what was running through his mind.  
"What about?", Sasuke demanded to know, his voice as hard as he wanted it to sound.

Gaara looked at him for a moment before he spoke again. "I don't think you want to discuss that in the hall, where everyone can overhear us". As if on cue, an elderly couple walked past Sasuke room, looking curiously at the two men.  
"Fine, come in", Sasuke said, stepping aside and closing the door behind his guest to keep the conversation private.

Gaara turned around to face him as soon as the door was closed. "Why are you doing this?", he outright asked, those strange eyes unblinkingly locked on Sasuke.  
"I have no idea what you are talking about"  
His guest narrowed his eyes at him. "Don't take me for a fool, Uchiha. You know why I'm here and I know that you know. There's no reason to play games. Just answer the question".  
"I'm not playing games. I just see no reason as to why I should tell you anything. I barely know you", Sasuke answered a bit smug.

"I'm not here to blame you. At least not only. I want to know why you are doing what you are doing", Gaara said in a clam, factual tone, crossing his arms in front of his chest.  
"I'm here for the divorce, but I bet you already know that much. Naruto must have told you, or you wouldn't be here", Sasuke answered.  
"Yeah, he told me that much, but I still don't understand".  
"You don't understand that I'm here to have him sign those papers?"

Gaara shook his head and somewhat huffed. "No. What I don't understand is, why you came back to do that. You could have send the papers here, but instead you preferred to come all the way from Tokyo for something that could have been achieved far easier", he explained, his eyes never once leaving Sasuke's.  
"I thought I owe him that much"  
"I think you're lying".

Sasuke flinched slightly and closed his eyes to steady himself. What was it about that guy that made him read the man the like an open book? Was he that predictable?  
"And why do you think such a thing?", he asked slowly.  
"That you're here. You came to Konoha not because you want Naruto to sign those papers, but because you wanted to see him one last time. You know this is the end, but your heart still belongs to him and you couldn't bring yourself to cutting the ties without a proper farewell. But you're hurting him like this. It would have been kinder to just send the papers instead of showing up and confront him", Gaara explained, he didn't look angry or anything, just a little worried.

Sasuke could tell that he really cared for Naruto and maybe Neji was right and Gaara would be the better partner for him. At least he would make sure that Naruto was happy – something Sasuke couldn't.

"Are you in love with him?", Sasuke asked, unable to keep the jealousy from his voice as he spoke. The possessive part of him didn't want Gaara to take what was his.  
"I was, once. But I learned very soon that there was only one person for him – you", he answered still very calmly. Whatever happened between Naruto and Gaara, the man had accepted his position as the best friend. The beast inside Sasuke's chest purred in satisfaction.  
"And now you're here to fix the relationship of the guy you're in love with, instead of claiming him for yourself? Isn't that ridiculous?".  
"No, it's not. I want what's best for him. It's your choice, Uchiha. Either you walk away from him right now, without torturing him even more or you stay and fix this. But stop hurting him by showing up just to wave your new happy engagement in his face".

Sasuke swallowed hard. Happy engagement? Who did that guy think he was, telling him something like this? It wasn't like he'd chosen to marry Karin! He did it because otherwise Fugaku would destroy everything Naruto held dear and it was Sasuke's duty to prevent that. He would do anything if it ensured Naruto's well-being. The only thing he had indeed done for his own selfish reasons was to come and tell his husband about the divorce in person.

Yes, it was true; he wanted to see Naruto once last time in his life. He wanted one last memory of him that he could lock away with all the others and think about whenever he was alone. Of course he knew that he was hurting the one person he wanted to see happy, but that last glimpse of him was hopefully worth the pain. Afterwards Sasuke would be gone and Naruto able to start over.

"You don't have to tell me what I should or shouldn't do! It's my decision to make, not yours!", he exclaimed, feeling angrier than he should.  
"I'm not here on my behalf, Uchiha", Gaara said, his hands closed around his upper arms so hard his knuckles appeared white from the force. He obviously tried to stay clam when all he wanted to do was punch Sasuke in the face.  
"I don't care, Sabaku. I do what the fuck I want and I won't have you lecture me about my husband. Now get out", Sasuke growled. He hated that judgmental look on the other man's face.

"Ah yes I see. Things are getting unpleasant and you decide to kick me out. Very mature. But I won't stretch your patience anymore. Have a good night, and think about what I just said. You are in love with him and you're not doing any of you a favour like this. Stop running from him and face your family. I'm sure Naruto is worth it. If not, get the hell out of town".

Sasuke clenched his fist and tried to choke back his anger. The words cut like knifes but he wouldn't let Gaara know that. The man had hit a nerve, making Sasuke feel awkward and pitiful .He wanted him to leave right now.

Gaara just smiled at him, but his knuckles were still white, as he walked to the door and opened it, stopping on the threshold. "I only warn you once. Keep hurting him, and I'll hurt you in return. Are we understood?", he said, one hand holding the handle.  
"More than just that, yes", Sasuke said, waiting for the man to finally leave.

As soon as the door was closed, Sasuke slammed back on the bed, burying his face in the crook of his arm to shut out the world around him. As if breaking up with Naruto wasn't hard enough in the first place.

He took his wedding ring out of the pocket of his dress pants and looked at it. Would he ever be able to wear it again? He was quite sure that he would move in with Karin once he got back to Tokyo and how could he explain a wedding ring to his betrothed? No, it would have to stay in the box from now on – save but beyond reach. Just like Naruto himself.

After a while, the sun had long set outside his window and the noise from the street below had subsided, Sasuke heard his phone buzz on the bedside cabinet where he'd left it hours ago. Probably his father… or brother… he wanted to talk to neither of them, but when it buzzed again, Sasuke got up and took the small device in his hand.

He had two text messages from an unknown number, which wasn't as unknown as his phone claimed it to be. He hadn't saved that number, but he would recognize it everywhere, even after five years. The texts were from Naruto.

Sasuke's heart beat frantically as he opened the first message. The grammar was bad and the spelling even worse, but he could positively hear Naruto's voice say the exact same words now shining on the screen.

 _I hate yu… ashole… dont ever com back_

Sasuke assumed that Naruto had had quite too much to drink tonight and now started to drunken text him. It wouldn't help to respond anyway and so he just opened the second text.

 _I luved yo… an you just left…_

The words were accusing, Sasuke could hear it without a voice to actually speak them. Naruto really wasn't the only person getting hurt over this.

 _Why did yu leve, Saske?_

Said man looked at his phone and closed his eyes. He wouldn't type an answer, but he wished he could.

* * *

Naruto was sitting on his couch with more bottles of beer than Kiba had initially brought, in front of him, all of them empty. He had long stopped counting them and so had his dog loving friend, who still tried to stop Naruto from texting his soon to be ex-husband. Gaara was sitting on the other end of the couch, watching the two men, offering silent support without interfering.

"Naruto, do you really think this is a good idea?", Kiba said, laying half on top of his friend in an attempt to take his phone from him.  
"It is… he sh- should know what he's doing to me", Naruto answered somewhat slurred due to the amount of alcohol in is system.

He had already spelled out the next text and now pressed the 'send' button while Kiba tried to take the phone away from him.

 _Afrad to answer? I hate yo to!_

"Stop that, Naruto. I don't think you're the only one who suffers. You're not making things better like this", Kiba insisted.  
"I don't care! I want him to answer! How can he do that? Just shut me out again?", Naruto asked, lowering the arm that held the phone out of Kiba's reach.  
"Talk to him face to face", his friend replied, getting back into a sitting position.

"I don't think he should do that", Gaara suddenly said. He had watched his two friends for a while and came to the conclusion that maybe it wasn't such a bad idea to have Sasuke read Naruto's brutally honest texts. "Keep texting him. It will help".  
"How can you say that?", Kiba exclaimed. "I thought we agreed that Sasuke too is suffering from this".  
"He is, but he also needs a wake-up call to stop this madness. Let him text and provoke the guy. I think that'll be better than talking face to face".

Kiba looked at Naruto considering Gaara's words before he nodded. "Whatever. Go ahead", he finally said, while the man they were talking about had already begun to type the next text.

There were so many things he wanted to tell Sasuke and yet knew he would never do it, if they came face to face.

 _Plese anser me! I luv you! I knw yo love me to! I saw it tody! Why are yo doin this?_

Whatever Sasuke thought about his texts, he never knew. The man didn't once reply, leaving Naruto with nothing but the burning pain in his chest for the rest of the night. Gaara and Kiba tried their best to keep him company and occupy his mind with other things, but as soon as they'd left the house, the whole reality of what had just happened today came crashing back to him.

It was really over. They were done.

For the first time since his wedding day, Naruto took off his ring and put it in the drawer of his bedside table. There was no reason for him to wear it anymore.

* * *

 **To be continued…**

 **Soooo, with that done I have to tell you that I wrote something to cheer you up after that last part of the story. It's the promised side chapter I talked about earlier. I already wanted to post it a few days ago, but then I realized it contained some spoilers for this chapter and postponed it. But with that problem solved, I'll be able to upload it today. If you're interested in reading it, the story is called Closer to Heaven and will in the future contain other additional chapters I couldn't fit into Ashes.**

 **Anyway, I hope you liked chapter 10 and stay tuned!**


	11. The Certainty in the Doubt

**Heyho, guys! Here's the new chapter! And finally we'll see Itachi! I'm so excited! From now on the dynamics will change a bit between Naruto and Sasuke, as I think it's only normal to at least think about moving on in a situation like this. I apologize for the scene with Gaara, if it offends you, but I think that again is a natural thing to happen. Naruto has been hurt gravely at this point. But I promise no GaaNaru will happen XD**

 **The end of the chapter now also marks the turn of events as you can guess *g***

 **Have fun!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, if I did, the ending would've been quite different *g* All characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.**

* * *

 **Chapter 11 The Certainty in the Doubt**

The next morning felt awkwardly familiar when Naruto woke with a hangover equal to the one on Sunday. Maybe drinking had not been such a great idea, but then again it had helped him to sleep through the night. However his dreams hadn't really been pleasant.

Waking up with the certainty that his marriage had failed, felt strange… somehow surreal… as if the idea itself was too big for his mind to comprehend. Waking up in this bed however was such a usual, familiar thing to do that Sasuke's betrayal suddenly seemed like nothing but a nightmare, washed away by the bright sunlight of a new day. It was strange how a few short words could change your entire life and all the things you ever believed in.

Naruto groaned in pain and for one moment considered to stay at home and spend the day under the covers, hiding from what was waiting for him outside his safe bed. But today was Tuesday and he couldn't leave Gaara alone with all their students. It wouldn't be fair considering how the man had been there for him last night and after Kiba's wedding. Naruto seriously owed him.

Feeling like shit again, he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and reached for the painkillers. At least he didn't feel sick again. Maybe sticking to beer instead of cocktails was better for his stomach, but it didn't help with the headache, nor with the heartache.

He felt almost numb. As if his emotions were wrapped up in cotton wool. It was a strange feeling, because Naruto usually was a very emotional person, but at the moment all he could feel was a dull ache in his chest – nothing too prominent. Just the quiet before the storm. After everything Sasuke had said and done yesterday, Naruto expected to feel devastated today, however his heart was determined to shield him from the worst pain.

That way he'd at least be able to go through with his working day and maybe, training with his students would help him to clear his mind again.

He took a quick, cold shower, dressed in the most comfortable (and probably oldest) clothes he owned and headed to his car. Fortunately the core times of his job were in in the afternoon and evening so that showing up at ten to do some clerical work was sufficient and he didn't have to drive through the city during rush hours.

When he arrived at the dojo, Gaara was already sitting in their shared office; a small room with just enough space for their two desks and otherwise crammed with shelfs full of paperwork. It was amazing how much bureaucracy it took to run your own dojo, especially if you got subsides from the state for a program like the one they ran for kids from poorer families. Each case had to be checked carefully if the child really had a right to have their classes paid by the state. It was troublesome but the only way to provide free training lessons for those who couldn't afford their costs.

Sometimes Naruto wished he could make things cheaper for his students, but as Gaara had pointed out so many times, they had running expenses to pay for and food didn't come for free either. So far the dojo provided enough for both – the dojo itself and for Naruto and Gaara to have enough money to live off without worrying about the end of the month.

Five years ago Naruto had still dreamed off an artistic career just like Deidara did, but he'd given up on that after graduation. His grades were good, but art was something he wanted to make whenever he felt like it and not because he had to do it.

But martial arts had always been his second great passion and he was good at it, so why not make a living of it? Especially if he didn't need to worry about an employer anymore. Naruto hated other people telling him what to do and this way he was his own boss, only answering to Gaara, but without the threat of getting sacked if he talked back. That was a great relief. All he had to do was make sure that enough people wanted to train with him or Gaara to keep their little dojo afloat.

He was more than glad that he'd met Gaara at that tournament. The guy had been scary as shit, kicking all his other opponents' asses, but against Naruto he'd achieved nothing but a stalemate , which had been the best thing that could have happened because from that day on Gaara had changed for the better and the two men had formed a deep bond, understanding each other without words. It felt only natural to be around the guy every day since.

"Hey, anything important today?", Naruto asked as he took a seat behind the desk he loathed so much. Clerical work had always been the least favourite part of his job.  
Gaara shook his head, eyes still fixed on a paper he was currently reading. "Nope, not yet. How are you feeling?".  
"Like shit. That's why I'm here. I need to focus on something that's not Sasuke and doesn't break under a bit of force", Naruto replied pulling a file about new enrolments for the next beginner classes towards him. Gaara had agreed to be responsible for the most annoying parts of their paperwork, leaving Naruto with the more pleasant things, like planning new classes and schedules, writing letters to parents and members or organize upcoming tournaments.

There would be one in a few weeks and Naruto had to decide whom he wanted to participate. Each tournament covered different age groups and experience levels and he was sure that Konohomaru would make a good impression in his category. He only needed the formal consent of his grandfather.

"Need to release some steam? We could spar before the brats come", Gaara said, now looking up to meet Naruto's gaze.  
"Sounds like a good idea actually", he answered, stretching his arms above his head before getting up again. "See you in the dojo in ten".

Naruto and Gaara each had their own, small changing room, in which they also kept some personal stuff, like the awards they'd won over the years. When he entered it now however, he realized that not only his awards were in here, but Sasuke's as well. He'd kept them even after the man had left, just in case he came back someday. Well, that had happened, just not the way Naruto had imagined it.

For a second he fought the urge to take them all off the walls and throw them into the trash, but he knew it wouldn't help or make the situation any better. He sighed and took his training wear out of the locker to get changed.

"Ah, there you are. I've been waiting", Gaara said when Naruto entered the dojo and stretched his muscles, before falling into a comfortable jog. They both new how important warmup was if you wanted your muscles not to be to sour after training. Of course they worked out every day but that didn't mean they were above hurting themselves if they started to be reckless about their body.

"Of course you were", Naruto said back, stretching his arms while he jogged, Gaara falling into pace next to him.  
"So, did he answer any of your texts?"  
"No, he didn't. Why would he?"

Gaara shrugged, closing his eyes for a moment. "He can't run from you forever. If he weren't such a big coward he'd answer and face you, but he hides behind a device that allows him to choose if he reacts or not. Such things don't happen in real conversations", he explained calmly.  
"I don't blame him. What I wrote didn't make things easier for him", Naruto said, finally stopping to thoroughly stretch his muscles before they would start to spar.  
"Kiba made an impression, didn't he? Being all concerned about your dear husband", Gaara almost sounded amused, rotating his shoulders to relax them.  
"Hm… I guess he's right… Sasuke's suffering too… I saw it in his eyes… he'd trying to hide it, probably even from himself, but he's hurting". Naruto smiled sadly and got into position, Gaara following suit.  
"Yeah, maybe he is, but that doesn't give him the right to hurt others", he said delivering the first blow Naruto had to avoid and therefore starting their ritual of releasing steam.

Naruto took a step backwards, avoiding being hit by one of Gaara's brutally hard punches. Although they were just doing this for fun, neither of them held back. It just wouldn't work if they did it half-heartedly – passion was part of the program. Not willing to be on the defence, Naruto launched himself forwards, attacking his best friend full force.

* * *

The previous night had been… exhausting for Sasuke. He'd had a hard time falling asleep and when he'd finally been able to, he'd been haunted by a strange dream about how things could have been different. In his dream he hadn't broken up with Naruto, but gone through with kissing him and… other things -hot and steamy things – taking his mind thoroughly off his plans of a divorce. In his dream he'd sworn never to leave again but to fight for Naruto and stay with him in Konoha.

God, what a stupid dream. Being confronted with all the things he wanted and yet knew he couldn't have, had not made his situation any easier nor did his lack of rest. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't get Naruto off his mind. This had to stop and the only way it would, was to get Naruto to sign the papers, so Sasuke could go back to Tokyo and bring some distance between them.

The longer he stayed this close, the higher the risk that his resolves would crumble.

Shaking his head, he looked at the papers on his desk. All it took was a small signature and their marriage would be over. How could something so strong be so fragile at the same time? It was the worst thing that could happen and yet the one he strived after. And it was the hardest thing he'd done so far in his life.

He felt torn. Torn between his love and his duty.

Determined to finish things today, he got out of bed and into the shower. He knew Naruto probably wasn't awake yet, so it wouldn't make sense to show up on his door step again. Besides, he was likely to throw the door in Sasuke's face if he did.

No, he had to confront his husband in a situation, were he couldn't just lock him out. Some place not too private and yet not too public as well. Like a dojo. If he showed up early enough the only one present besides them would be Gaara and Sasuke couldn't care less what the red haired man thought about him.

With his plan set up in his mind, Sasuke got dressed and decided to work for a few hour before he had to go and see Naruto again. It didn't matter that he wasn't in Tokyo; he had of course brought some work files with him. Fugaku would under no circumstances allow him to let his work slide, especially because he thought that Sasuke was on a business trip.

However, working wasn't that easy when all you could think about was either the unpleasant things you had to do soon or the disturbing dream you'd had last night. Neither thought allowed Sasuke to concentrate on the many numbers and calculations in front of him and after what felt like hours, but actually wasn't even one, he gave up and decided to try his luck and drive to Naruto's dojo.

It was late midmorning and most people were already at work, leaving the streets pleasantly unoccupied, which made Sasuke's drive shorter than expected. At first, he assumed he was too early, but Naruto's car was already parked in front of the traditional Japanese looking building. Sasuke liked the design pretty much. It reminded him of the school he and Naruto had trained in as teenagers and he briefly wondered, if Jiraiya still taught there. Sasuke hadn't seen nor heard about the old man since he'd left, but then again they'd never been too close.

Naruto on the other hand was very fond of Jiraiya and Sasuke could only guess how proud the old perv must be, seeing his most prized student with a dojo of his own, teaching children and adolescents alike.

As he'd expected, the doors weren't locked and Sasuke could easily enter the building, with its slightly traditional atmosphere. Everything was calm and steady, almost serene. He liked the order and rectilinearity of the place. No redundant frills and decorations, just plain wood and stone. The best environment to fully concentrate on your body and its capabilities.

Given the early hour, Sasuke expected Naruto to be in the office, for there wouldn't be any students to train before afternoon, yet no one answered when he knocked at the corresponding door, which left him with the thought that maybe his husband was already in the training hall, preparing for his later classes.

The largest room in the building wasn't hard to find, especially not, since as soon as Sasuke had rounded another corner, he could hear the characteristic sounds of people sparing. Naruto had always gone to the gym in times of turmoil and it shouldn't surprise Sasuke that he resorted to physical distraction now.

He opened the door and stopped on the threshold, careful not to disturb the two men inside. Naruto and Gaara hadn't noticed him yet and Sasuke wanted things to stay like that – at least for now. This way he had time to watch his husband fight one last time and he had to admit, it was worth it. Naruto was still as powerful as five years ago, if not more so. His movements were almost elegant, as he dodged one of Gaara's kicks and used the momentum to deliver a vigorous blow, which his opponent only barely avoided.

Sasuke had seen his husband fight so many times before, but never had he taken in all the little things about it as much as he did now. The expression of complete and utter concentration and determination on Naruto's face. The way his strong muscles moved under the tan skin. How his thin tank top hugged the well-defined chest and abs. It was alluring.

He wanted to possess that man, every ounce of his body and soul, so much that he could almost feel his resolutions break under the weight of it. Only his father's threats to destroy Naruto's life kept him from throwing every thought about the divorce out of the window and fuck Naruto right here, right now – Gaara or not.

Fortunately the two men stopped, before the last of Sasuke's willpower could break under the pressure of his suddenly awakened libido. Of course he should have known that Naruto would have that kind of impact on him. It had always been like that. No matter what Naruto had done so far in his life, Sasuke had always feel that dark urge to utterly possess him, first as his only friend and then as his lover – his only lover. Ever. No one was to touch _his_ Naruto.

"Well, that certainly helped", Naruto said, still unaware of Sasuke presence, taking a towel from one of the benches on the long side of the gym.  
"Glad it did", Gaara said, stretching his muscles again, before turning towards the door. His gaze fell on Sasuke, who hadn't moved from his position, holding the envelope with the divorce papers in, as if his life depended on it – or rather Naruto's.

"What are you doing here?", Gaara asked, finally making his best friend aware of their visitor. Naruto's face instantly fell as he turned to the man in the doorway.  
"That's none of your business. I'm here to talk to Naruto", Sasuke answered unmoving, his onyx eyes locked on his husband.  
Gaara huffed. "It's very well my business if you keep hurting my best friend, Uchiha".

Sasuke just ignored him and finally started to move, walking directly towards Naruto, as if there was no one besides them in the room. "I need you to sign this", he said, handing the envelope over.  
Naruto frowned at him, but took the papers nonetheless.  
"What is this?", he asked, his voice hard and suspicious.  
"What do you think it is? The divorce papers of course", Sasuke said, trying to sound unimpressed; as if ending this marriage was just an everyday thing to him.

Blue eyes darkened, whether from pain or anger, Sasuke couldn't tell, but it was unnerving either way. He watched as Naruto silently took the papers out of the manila envelope.  
"Why are you giving me this?", he asked, and this time Sasuke could hear the supressed pain in his voice.  
"I hoped that, after thinking about it for a night, you might want to agree to this", he answered steadying himself for the storm he knew was to come, when he saw the change in Naruto's posture.  
"Just in case you didn't realize, asshole. I was drunk last night. I texted you – more than once. And don't tell me you didn't get them! You know I didn't think about anything last night! And if I had, my answer would still be the same: I am not signing this!"

"Why not? Why do you prefer to suffer, instead of just ending this?", Sasuke asked back, his own feelings not as calm as he wished them to be.

Naruto sighed and turned away, his eyes looking at something only he could see. Gaara remained silent, watching the exchange between the two men without interfering. He knew his best friend well enough to stay out of thing like this. Naruto would want to handle Sasuke on his own.  
"Because I love you, teme. I haven't given up on us yet", he said softer than before and then turned back to face Sasuke again. "I won't let you go, just so you can marry a girl who will never make you happy. Not when I know that you still have feelings for me".

Sasuke swallowed hard, his heart beating fast in his throat. "Stop being naïve, Naruto. This is not how life works. Sometimes we just have to do things, and I want you to accept my decision and sign those fucking papers. I'm not joking here. I want marry her".  
"And why? Why would you want that, when you're not even into women?",  
"Because she can give me the one thing you never will", he said, knowing how unfair it was to play this one last card, but he honestly was desperate and if he wanted to protect Naruto in the future, he needed that signature.  
"And what would that be?", Naruto demanded, arms crossed.  
"Kids"

Naruto looked as if Sasuke had just slapped him in the face and for a split second he feared he'd gone too far and made him cry, but instead Naruto's features hardened even further and the now dark blue eyes stared at him in a way Sasuke had never imagined to find them looking at him. Gone were all the love, affection and fondness, only to be replaced by something the reminded him of disgust. Without ever breaking their eye contact, Naruto ripped the papers in his hands up, throwing them at Sasuke, the small, white and black shreds raining down in front of him as if to mock him.

"Fuck you, Sasuke. There you got your answer. Do you think this is funny? Letting me suffer for five years only to end things now? I've been waiting for you, you know? I missed you every fucking day! And yet, I never gave up hope! Until yesterday, I really thought you'd come back to me! I was so glad when you finally showed up! But you ruined everything! You made me wait for five fucking years and now you're breaking up with me! How can you do that? The Sasuke I knew would never do such a thing! He would never just abandon me! I don't know you anymore! I can't stand you! Now get out", panting heavily and shaking from emotion Naruto clenched his fists to keep himself from hitting his husband. All the pain and loneliness from the past years threatened to burst out of him and the tears were already burning behind in his eyes. He was so tired of this. Tired of being hurt and abandoned all over again. He couldn't bear it.

"Naruto-", Sasuke began, only to be interrupted immediately.  
"No, Sasuke. I'm done with this. I want you to get the fuck out and only come back when you're in your right mind again. This is madness and I'm sick of it".

Sasuke knew there was nothing he could say or do right now, to make Naruto change his mind. He just sighed and turned to leave. It wasn't fair, he knew it, and hearing those words from the man he loved, confirming what he had always feared the most, hurt so much. All he wanted to do was to hold him in his arms and tell him everything would be fine soon and that they'd be together again, but he couldn't do that. He couldn't risk Naruto's subsistence. And so he left, knowing that he had hurt the one person he really cared about and that nothing in the world could make things right again.

* * *

Naruto sank onto a bench, shaking from head to toe, face buried in his hands, with Gaara beside him.  
"Why?", he said his voice too high and too rough at the same time. He felt like crying, but didn't want to. "Why does he do this? What did I do to him?"  
"Nothing", Gaara said, putting an arm around his best friend's shoulders in a rare gesture of affection that made Naruto raise his head to look at him.

For the past years Gaara had always been there for him, keeping up with his ups and downs about Sasuke, never once complaining. And Naruto was no fool, he knew about Gaara's feelings for him; knew that, without Sasuke, there would be a chance for them to be together.

Those clear green eyes looked at him, neither hard nor soft, just considerate. It would be so easy to just close what little distance was left between them and kiss him. A relationship with Gaara promised everything Naruto could ever hope for. All the things Sasuke wouldn't give him. Gaara would never abandon him; he was loyal and cared deeply about Naruto.

For a moment he really thought about doing it – kissing his best friend. He knew it was selfish, but the thought of being with someone who would really love him was so tempting right now. He raised a hand to grab the collar of Gaara's shirt. It was still a little damp from when they'd sparred.

"Naruto don't", Gaara said softly, guessing correctly what his best friend was about to do. "You're upset, not in love with me. Kissing me would do you no good".

Naruto let go of the fabric and averted his gaze. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have tried", he muttered, feeling even worse than before.  
"It's okay. You're hurt"  
"Why Gaara? Why can't I just fall in love with you? You're always there for me… you would never just leave me… why do I have to love him?"  
"We cannot choose who we love, Naruto. I have long since accepted that your heart belongs to him. I'm fine with just being friends".  
"But I'm not! I want to be with you… I know we'd be good together… If only I could let him go".  
"Stop beating yourself up about this. Maybe you and him… maybe you are meant to be".

Naruto looked at him, thinking about the words for a moment. Meant to be? Could that be true? But what good would it do him, if Sasuke couldn't see things this way? Should he give up and let Sasuke go, or should he keep on fighting, in the hope that one day his husband would finally see reason?

* * *

Well, shit.

That had again been a dead loss. Instead of getting Naruto so sign the papers, things had only gotten worse between them. He could of course reprint the papers anytime, no problem there. But getting close enough to Naruto to even talk to him about it would be a pain in the ass from now on.

And even apart from this, Sasuke felt absolutely shitty. Naruto's words had hit all the right spots, making him feel guilty on end. He'd never wanted to hurt him, but again it seemed like he wouldn't have a choice on the matter. For now, all he wanted was to forget. Maybe he should make use of the fitness room in the basement of the hotel and try to focus on something other than the quandary he was currently in.

However, as he opened the door to his room, he found it already occupied. There, on the edge of his bed, sat none other than his dear big brother Itachi. Annoyance would put, what he felt at the sight of his brother, nicely.  
"What do you want?", he asked, getting out of his jacket to throw it over the backrest of a nearby chair.

"It's good to see you too, Otouto", Itachi said, sounding a little amused, his dark eyes following Sasuke, as he took off his shoes as well.  
"Stop being smug. You obviously followed me. Why?", Sasuke snapped, feeling extremely on edge.  
"Because I think you're making a mistake here", Itachi finally answered now more seriously.  
"I'm not. I'm just doing what's necessary".  
"Ah, yes. Tell me, does your husband agree with that? Did he sign the papers yet?"

Sasuke crossed his arms in front of his chest in a defensive gesture. After his encounter with Naruto, the last thing he needed was Itachi's nagging questioning. He didn't want to justify his decisions, when no one would be able to understand why he'd made them in the first place.  
"No, he didn't. Now stop asking".

Itachi sighed and got up from the bed to stand right in front of Sasuke. He was still a few inches taller than him, but with the same deep, dark eyes, reflecting Sasuke's feelings like a mirror he didn't want to look in.  
"Did he tell you why he wouldn't sign them?"

"Didn't I just tell you, to stop nagging? I don't wanna talk about it. But if you have to know, he doesn't sign them because he's stupid. As always", Sasuke knew he sounded like a spoilt five year old, but his nerves felt so raw from what had happened in the last three days and he really wanted to forget about it all.  
"I don't think that's the reason, Otouto", Itachi replied patiently. "I think, he knows what I know. You're lying. Not only to me, or to him, neither of us would care about that, but to yourself".  
"How could you know that? You haven't seen him since the wedding!"  
"You're right. But I saw the two of you grow up. Believe me, when I say that I know Naruto. He only wants, what's best for you. And that girl isn't".

Sasuke knew Itachi was right, but it only made him feel all the more desperate. Naruto… his Naruto… he was willing to suffer even more… just to make Sasuke happy. But that wasn't how things were supposed to be! This time Sasuke had to be the one to sacrifice something. He had to take care of Naruto's happiness, because he only wanted what was best for _him!_

It was all too much. "What's best for me?", he almost yelled, feeling the mask of indifference finally break. He knew he couldn't bear it any longer; knew everything would finally break out of him. "I don't care what's best for me! I want what's best for Naruto! That's why I'm here!"  
"Then tell me, Otouto. What is best for him?", Itachi asked calmly as if his brother hadn't just shown his true feelings for the first time.  
"It's best for him that I stay away from him, so father doesn't have a reason to harm him!"

Itachi frowned at his brother and for the first time seemed seriously worried. "Father?", he asked. "What does he have to do with everything?".

Sasuke sighed. He'd already said too much, so why keep it a secret anymore? He'd always known that sooner or later he'd have to tell Itachi and maybe that time had now finally come. He had to tell the truth – all of it.

"Remember when I came to Tokyo five years ago? I didn't do it, because I wanted to, but because I had to. Father made me leave Konoha. He threatened to ruin Naruto's life. Naruto was still at College and all it took was one call from father to end his career before it had even started. He would have gotten expelled, if father had gone through with his threats. I couldn't risk that. Naruto fought so hard for everything in his life, who am I to take that from him? So I agreed to come to Tokyo and never look back. And I didn't until father demanded I'd marry Karin.  
Now you know everything… you know what he has over me… I can't risk everything Naruto ever gained in his life just because I want to be with him", Sasuke couldn't remember when he'd last said this much all at once, but it felt good to finally share his secret with someone, so he wouldn't have to carry the burden all on his own.

Itachi looked at him full of sadness and regret. "Sasuke…", he whispered. "Why didn't you come to me? I would have helped you. Together, we would have found a solution for this"  
"No, Itachi. This was my duty as his husband and mine alone. And it still is. I will divorce him, to keep him from father's harm".  
"I don't think that's necessary Sasuke"  
"What? Why?"  
"Look at him. He's not as vulnerable as he was five years ago. He leads a successful dojo and can very well fend for himself. And before you disagree, let me finish. I know what you're thinking – that father could even ruin that. But I don't think he can. Sabaku Gaara is the son of the mayor of Suna. When it comes to politics and power, his family is as influential as ours. If Naruto were to go down, Sabaku would go down with him, because they are in this together and Sabaku Rasa will never let that happen, no matter how estranged the relationship with his son might be", Itachi explained almost hopeful. He really wanted Sasuke to see what he saw – a chance.

If his little brother let go of his stupid plan to divorce Naruto and embraced the possibility that they could be together again, things might really change for the better. They would have to fight for it of course, but wasn't love worth the fight?

"I… I'm not sure… what if… what if father finds a way to get to Naruto without involving Sabaku? Rasa wouldn't raise one finger to save his son's friend", he said, torn between hope and doubt.  
"There is always a risk, but I think it's small. And even if something goes wrong, Naruto still has you. Think about it, Sasuke. If you take that risk, you might get your life and your love back".

Sasuke stood frozen in place, just looking at Itachi while the meaning of his words sunk deep into his mind. Could he take that risk? Was it worth it? Every ounce of his being wanted to be with Naruto and if there was only the slightest chance of outfoxing Fugaku, shouldn't he be happy to take it? All his dreams suddenly seemed within reach again.

He had to make a decision, and he had to make it soon.

* * *

 **To be continued…**

 **So Itachi opened his brother's eyes and made him see what was lost on him *g*. Yeah, that's exactly how I imagine him to work his magic, by pointing out the obvious. I really hope you liked it. Let me know what you think and stay to tuned!**


	12. The Flaw in the Plan

**Wow, the weeks go by so fast right now! But, despite all the studying for my state exam, I managed to write another chapter for you! As I predicted, the dynamics will change a bit, and now Naruto also has to figure out, what he really wants *g* Thank God for Itachi XD**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, if I did, the ending would've been quite different *g* All characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.**

* * *

 **Chapter 12 The Flaw in the Plan**

Naruto ran a hand through his hair, as he came out of the dojo's shower in the evening. He had, despite Sasuke's appearance earlier, gone through with his daily schedule, as to not disappoint his students. Gaara had offered to take the last group, age 14+, alone, so Naruto could go home earlier, but he had refused. He wouldn't let himself be treated like he was some fragile girl in distress. He could deal with it.

Much to his relief, the last group had been quite distracting, as many of them were beyond just 'good' – they were excellent fighters and the next tournaments promised to be a success. Naruto would lie, if he claimed to feel all better now, but the anger and hurt form earlier had faded into a dull throbbing – something he could cope with.

However, he would have to make a decision eventually. What was he to do with Sasuke? Keep him in a marriage he obviously didn't want anymore? Or let him go, so both of them could move on? Sometimes the answer seemed so simple, but then again, he couldn't just ignore the feelings he'd seen in Sasuke's eyes yesterday. The real question was, why would his husband want to end their marriage, if he still loved him? Just for the sake of some stupid family legacy? That didn't sound like Sasuke at all.

Shaking his head, Naruto finally got dressed and stepped into the hallway, were Gaara was already waiting for him. Just like always. Gaara… his best friend… the one person who would never let him down… why couldn't he just love him? Or could he, if he just ended things with Sasuke? Was it better that way? To enter a new relationship that wasn't as passionate as the one he'd had, but calm and planned? There would be no burning heat and uncontrollable need, but the steadiness of Gaara's personality, so different from Naruto's. Would that be for the best?

"You ready?", Gaara asked, looking him up and down. Naruto could tell his friend was worrying about him and he felt bad for it.  
"Yeah, let's go home", Naruto replied, holding the door open for Gaara to follow him.  
"I'm driving you home in your car", he said in voice that would tolerate no dissent.  
"What? Why?", Naruto, asked, stopping in his tracks on the way to the gate.  
"Because you're in no condition to drive, after today. Now, get in the car and stop looking at me like this"  
"But… how are you gonna get home?"  
"I'll walk".

Without another word, Gaara took the car keys from Naruto and walked down the street to where Naruto had parked in the morning. Gaara's apartment was close enough to the dojo for him to walk to work every day, but Naruto, with his house at the outskirts of Konoha, would have to walk for an hour if he didn't use his car.

"Why are you doing this?", he asked, as he got into the passenger's seat of his own car, fastening the seatbelt.  
Gaara didn't even look at him, as he just started the engine and said: "Because I'm you friend".

Naruto sighed and looked out of the window. Friends… that's what they were… just friends… and yet, whenever he'd needed someone, Gaara had been there for him, whereas Sasuke had been gone. He had abandoned Naruto, just like all his foster families had done. The one person he'd formed a deep bond with – deep enough to trust him completely – had betrayed and discarded him. Maybe that was the worst of it all; that after a childhood of feeling lonely and unloved, Sasuke had been the first person to make him feel special and welcome and the first person to really break his heart. Never had he believed Sasuke would betray him like this.

"He's not worth you tears, you know?", Gaara said, still not looking at Naruto, but fully focused on the street. Yet, even without looking at him, the man had sensed the silent tears running down his best friend's cheeks and even if his voice sounded imperturbable as always, Naruto could tell how deeply Gaara cared for him.

"I know…", he said, wiping the tears away.

They spent the rest of the way in silence, Gaara focused on the street and Naruto trying to not think about how much it hurt to have lost the man he loved. All he wanted to was crawl away into his bed and forget about everything that had happened.

But when they finally arrived at Naruto's house, little Konohamaru was already sitting on the bottom step of the stairs leading to the door, waiting for him to come home. Sarutobi-san was probably still sick and the boy needed a hot meal. Not that Naruto would mind having him over, but tonight he really didn't feel like cooking and taking care of a child.

"I'll make dinner. You just go and watch some TV with him", Gaara said, as he parked the car in front of Naruto's house.  
"Thanks, man. You're the best", Naruto said, getting out of the car to greet the boy on the stairs.

Half an hour later the television was running, with Konohamaru enthusiastically commenting on every scene and Naruto feeling like he finally had the time to let his mind wonder again.

Gaara was already in the kitchen, preparing food for all three of them and it just felt so natural. Had things ever been like that with Sasuke? Of course they'd had their everyday life with all the little routines you develop as a couple, but there had also always been their explosive tempers, lingering just under the surface.

Most times those had led to hot sex and possessive need, but they had also given their relationship a touch of 'unhealthy'. With Gaara things would be calm and steady. There wouldn't be anything physical between them, until Naruto was ready for it, but there would be the safety and protection of a relationship. The certainty of not being alone. And as much as Naruto waned that for himself, he also knew how much Gaara craved companionship as well. It would be good for both of them.

And Sasuke… he would always be Naruto's first love. The boy who'd saved him from a childhood of loneliness. Nothing could ever chance that, but now was the time to let go, so they could both find happiness in their lives.

Naruto closed his eyes and pressed his teeth together to supress the tears, stinging in his eyes. He couldn't start to cry in front of Konohamaru. The boy laughed in excitement, as he cheered for Goku on the screen.

"Dinner's ready", Gaara said, suddenly standing behind them with plates, full of delicious smelling food, in his hand. Usually they would never eat in front of the TV, Naruto wanting to teach Konohamaru the value of a shared meal without any distractions, but tonight would be an exception.

"Awww, thank you Gaara-san", the boy said, taking his plate from the man and digging into his food without hesitation.  
"You're welcome", Gaara replied as he sat down next to Naruto and handed him a plate as well.  
"Thanks", Naruto said, his voice unusually husky. Konohamaru stopped eating and turned his head away from the TV, to look at the two men next to him, his expression suddenly serious.  
"What's wrong with Narutonii-chan, Gaara-san?", he asked, his brows furrowed questioningly.

Both adults stopped dead, letting their chopsticks sink onto the plates in unison as they shared a quick glance. How could you explain something like that to a child?

Konohamaru had never met Sasuke. He'd only moved in with his grandfather three years ago and Naruto had never once talked about his absentee husband in front of the boy.

"Well", Gaara started, laying a hand on Konohamaru's shoulder. "Naruto-kun had a good friend once. They were best friends and even lived together for a while, but some time ago that friend broke off their friendship without reason and today he said something very mean to Naruto".  
Konohamaru blinked a little astonished, but seemed to understand the essence of what Gaara was telling him. Sad, dark eyes focused on Naruto now and the boy sat his plate aside to rise and wrap his slightly clumsy arms around the man's neck.  
"That's so mean of him", Konohamaru muttered, his face pressed against Naruto's shoulder. "Don't be sad, Naruto-nii. Next time he says something nasty, I'll punch him, you'll see".

Even if he'd wanted to, Naruto wouldn't have been able to stifle the smile forming on his lips. Konohamaru really was a sweet kid – like the little brother Naruto had never had. It wasn't as if he wanted kids of his own – he'd long since given up on that thought – but a little brother was something he'd dreamed about his entire life.  
"Thanks, Konohamaru. I know, I can count on you", he fondly replied. Maybe the day wasn't that bad.

He shared another look with Gaara, before he closed his eyes. This was what his life now looked like. He had a family, just not a usual one. But he knew, he didn't need blood ties or laws to feel _home_ with those two. Sasuke wasn't a part of this life anymore and it was time to let go.

The decision was made – Naruto would sign the divorce papers and finally embrace his life the way it was now, without any regret. He had just one last condition.  
Sasuke had to tell him the truth about what had happened five years ago.

"Do you feel better now, Narutonii-chan?", Konohamaru asked, finally letting go of Naruto's neck to sit back down.  
"Yes, much better. Thank you, buddy", he said, retaking his chopsticks with one hand while he ruffled Konohamaru's hair with the other one.

Yeah, his life was good the way it was.

The rest of the meal passed in pleasant conversation, meaning Konohamaru told them all kinds of 'exciting and funny stories' either from school or from some anime he'd been watching recently. It didn't matter that most of the stories were quite silly, Naruto just enjoyed the atmosphere between all three of them, with Konohamaru constantly talking and Gaara listening in silence to every word the boy said.

It was already fairly late, when Konohamaru ultimately started to yawn, his eyelids heavy after a long day of school and training.  
"I'll take him home", Gaara announced, getting up from the couch.  
"Thanks. I guess he's too tired to walk even those few yards", Naruto replied as he took the used plates from the coffee table. Thank God for dishwashers; he really didn't feel like washing-up tonight.

Gaara nodded in agreement. Konohamaru was already half asleep on the now otherwise empty couch.  
"I'll see you tomorrow, then?", Gaara asked, taking the boy into his arms. No matter how indifferent the man sometimes seemed, there was at least some warmth inside of him and Naruto couldn't help but admire the great development Gaara had undergone since they'd first met during a tournament almost six years ago.  
"Yep,. Oh… Gaara. I'm going to be late tomorrow", Naruto said, anxiety now rising inside his chest as he was about to tell someone of his plan to agree to the divorce.

"And why's that?"

"I'm going to see Sasuke and sign those papers!"

* * *

With Itachi finally gone, Sasuke had felt relieved and yet lonely at the same tie. It had been a good decision to tell his brother about how their father had made Sasuke leave Naruto, but now he feared that Itachi would tell.

Sasuke had of course asked him not to, but you can never be sure. The one thing he really didn't want was for Naruto to ever learn the truth. It was too embarrassing, too shameful that he hadn't stood up to his bullying father and fought for his love. He'd just been too scared that all the threats would come true.  
And now Itachi's words kept ringing in his ears like a forbidden melody, a temptation almost. Naruto didn't need this protection anymore and so there maybe was a way for them to be together again, but could it be real? Or would Fugaku just find another way to harm and blackmail him? After five years of constantly obeying his father's orders, it felt strange to finally nourish hope that he could again be together with Naruto.

Had it been a mistake, not to confide into Itachi right away, when Fugaku had delivered his ultimatum? Probably so. But Sasuke had grown up knowing that he had to deal with his problems on his own and not ask for help. Uchihas never ask for help. Ultimately that attitude had let to him fighting this battle for Naruto's safety on his own, instead of consulting his older brother and ask for his support.

Never would Itachi have let something like this happen to the two young men, he'd watched grow up together and fall in love to deeply that sometimes it seemed like there was no one else in the world but them. Even as children, they'd virtually been obsessed with each other; Naruto constantly chasing after Sasuke, demanding his attention, and Sasuke, apparently indifferent and annoyed, had always been a popular guy, but no one had ever caught his attention except for Naruto. No matter who had tried to get close to him, the bond Sasuke shared with Naruto remained to this day unique and unbreakable.

Had Itachi known about his father's threats, he would have interfered to prevent Sasuke from making a mistake like that. But with things already gone wrong, all he could do was try to get them to see the truth about their relationship.

The only problem was that Sasuke had to play along, and so far the man remained uncertain about what to do.  
Things had been bad enough that evening, after his conversation with Itachi, for Sasuke to go to the hotel bar and indulge in cocktails and shallow conversations forced upon him by people, whose names he never even tried to remember, just to distract himself from the inner strife he'd otherwise have to face.

By morning he was glad he didn't have to work if he didn't want to, because he wouldn't have been able to concentrate on his projects anyway. His mind was still occupied by the memories of the previous day, Naruto's words repeating themselves over and over in his head. The pain had been so obvious in his voice and the guilt following their dispute, felt all the more crushing now that Sasuke realized how things could have been different, if he'd just trusted his brother, instead of making a decision on his own, changing not only his, but also Naruto's life forever.

He had indeed been just as bad as, if not even worse than, all the foster families Naruto had lived with, but other than them, Sasuke really had promised to never leave Naruto alone and in the end he'd just… abandoned him, breaking his trust by doing the unspeakable.

Did he now still have a right to even think about trying to get his husband back or had he gambled away his last chance when he'd asked him for a divorce?

Right now, what had a few days ago seemed like the only solution, proved to be the greatest mistake of Sasuke's life. And he had to decide what to make of it – would he go through with marrying Karin or would he challenge his father and try to win Naruto back, even if it was absolutely possible that he'd be rejected?

He'd barely gotten out if the shower, the thoughts still going in circles in his mind, when a sharp knock interrupted his musings. It was still pre noon and Sasuke suspected Itachi to visit him again, probably to continue their conversation from the night before. Still wearing nothing but the towel around his hips, he opened the door, only to be greeted by a pair of cerulean eyes, looking him up and down in an unmistakable way.

"Naruto…", he whispered, stepping back and opening the door somewhat wider to let his visitor in.  
"Hey, Sasuke", Naruto said, licking his suddenly dry lips. He hadn't expected to find his husband wearing close to nothing and there were quite a few occasions similar to this one he recalled and vividly remembered how they'd ended – with either of them pressed against a wall, followed by needy and almost desperate touches. Nothing had ever been calm with Sasuke, especially not sex.

"Why are you here?", Sasuke asked, turning towards Naruto after he'd closed the door behind the man's back. He had of course seen the look on his husband's face and he wasn't sure if being half naked was a good idea or a bad one. He wanted Naruto back, but not in their usual, rushed way. This time things should be calm and certain and to do that he had to make absolutely sure his father wouldn't interfere or at least he had to ask Itachi for help if things got ugly.

"I wanted to talk to you", Naruto answered, his voice a bit too rough, as he desperately tried to tear his gaze away from where the towel was riding low on Sasuke's hips and threatened to slide down any moment.

Said man furrowed his brows, feeling more and more uncomfortable. He could make things quick and just let the towel slip; he was quite sure Naruto wouldn't be able to resist the temptation, but somehow he couldn't do it. Instead, he cleared his throat and said: "No need. You made yourself very clear yesterday".

"Ah yes… about that…", Naruto started, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck, as he always did when feeling insecure about something. "I changed my mind".

Sasuke blinked at him in astonishment. Had Naruto really just said that he'd changed his mind? About what? Not wanting to see Sasuke again? The divorce? Oh dear God… no. Not now, after Itachi had finally given him hope that things could be alright.  
"What do you mean?", he inquired, his throat again too tight to properly speak. The last days had been an emotional rollercoaster and as it seemed, things weren't really going to get better.

"Well… I mean… I'm willing to sign those papers…", Naruto answered, unable to ban all sadness from his words. It was the right thing to do, he knew it, yet the knowledge didn't make it any easier.  
"You want to sign them? Why?"  
"Because you don't want to be married to me anymore and I have no right to chain you up if you want to be free. I still think it's not a good idea to marry that girl your father choose, she won't make you happy, but I have no right to be your husband, if I can't make you happy either", Naruto explained with a sad smile on his lips.

Sasuke swallowed hard. This was not what he wanted, absolutely not. How could Naruto ever think that he couldn't make him happy? His years with his boyfriend and later husband had been the happiest of Sasuke's life.

Naruto raised a hand to run it through his hair and Sasuke caught a glimpse of his annular finger. He wasn't wearing his wedding band anymore.

"It's not like that…", Sasuke began, but Naruto interrupted him with a gesture that signalled him, to keep his words.  
"It's okay, Sasuke. I don't need you to explain anymore. I don't want to hear it. I have only one condition and then I'll sign your papers and let you go"  
"What condition?"  
"I want you to tell me the truth about what made you leave".

Sasuke's eyes widened at the request and heat rose in his chest, making him squirm uncomfortably. "I… I can't…", he croaked, hands clenching and unclenching in a nervous gesture. He wouldn't… couldn't… tell Naruto the truth… with that temper of his, he would go storming to Tokyo to confront Fugaku about what he had done and that would only put him in harm's way.

"Why not?", Naruto demanded, his brows furrowed in anger. Did he really ask too much of Sasuke, if he just wanted to know why the man had left him when he clearly still was in love with him. It didn't make sense at all.  
"You wouldn't understand…", Sasuke muttered, sounding almost defeated  
"Try me!"

Sasuke shook his head, his eyes locked on a small table in the corner as if it was the most interesting thing in world. "No, Naruto. I cannot and will not tell you. Please, just sign the papers if you want to".

Naruto took a step towards his husband, placing a hand on his bare shoulder. The skin was soft and warm under his palm and it felt so good… so right… to touch Sasuke. Little jolts of electricity spread from his fingers through his body – the familiar spark was still there.  
"Sasuke… what's wrong? Please, tell me what happened. I'll agree to the divorce, just don't leave me in the dark anymore. I've been thinking about you and your reasons for years, but I never found an explanation".

Raising his head to look at the man in front of him, Sasuke sighed deeply. "You should go", he whispered, not removing the warm hand from where it touched his skin. The gesture was too nice to ever voluntarily let go of it.

"What? Why? I came to sign the papers! I just want an explanation first. If that too much?", the anger was back in Naruto's voice and Sasuke honestly couldn't hold it against him. From his perspective, things probably didn't make sense and being left in the dark wasn't fair.

"And I'm telling you that we don't have a deal. You can come back, when you're willing to sign the papers without asking for the rest, because I'm not going to tell you", Sasuke answered, not really angry but insistent.

"I really don't get you, Sasuke", Naruto said while taking the hand from his husband's shoulder. He knew something was bothering him. It was evident in the beautiful dark eyes that Sasuke was suffering and it had to with the events five years ago. The things he didn't want to talk about. "One second you try to persuade me into agreeing to a divorce and when I finally want to, you're not willing to at least explain the situation to me. That's not fair. Not after the things you've done to me".

Sasuke closed his eyes; the words cutting deep with every breath. "I know I'm not being fair. Believe me, it's not like I enjoy any of this. But you really should go now. Think everything through… and if you're still willing to… have us lead separate lives… then come back to me and we'll talk about everything…. But I'm not going to tell you about the past".

Naruto shook his head in anger. "This is so typical of you! Everything has to be done your way! But you don't give a fuck about what I want! What I need! You let me suffer for five years and even now you're still being an asshole. Have a nice day, Sasuke. I'm done with you".

With a last look at the man he still knew he loved more than anything, Naruto headed for the exit, slamming the door shut behind him as he left.

* * *

What the actual fuck?

What had just happened?

No matter how often Naruto replayed the events in Sasuke's hotel room, they never seemed to make any sense. He'd been so sure that his husband would agree to his condition, tell him the truth and in the end they'd both sign those damned papers and be done with it. He'd expected to be as good as divorced by the time he'd leave the room, but would at least finally know what had gone wrong.

Instead, everything he now had, was the assurance that Sasuke was being his asshole self and keeping things from him. Things which were bad enough to be kept hidden, even at the cost of Naruto's willingness to agree to Sasuke's demands.

He really didn't understand the man anymore and as he returned to his empty house, sending Gaara a text that he wouldn't make it work today, because of shit, he wondered what it could be that had Sasuke so tied up in knots.

He collapsed onto his couch and switched on the TV, just to get his mind off of his husband and the sadness he'd seen in his eyes. Something was bothering Sasuke, but he was too proud to confide into Naruto and whatever that was, was now tearing them apart. Maybe Sasuke didn't really want a divorce himself and was just forced into the situation by whatever had happened he didn't want to talk about?

The uncertainty was driving Naruto mad, but he wouldn't agree to anything without Sasuke telling him the truth, because somehow he'd gotten the impression that maybe breaking up wouldn't be necessary if they could just get rid of the reason for Sasuke's strange behaviour.

Well… weren't things messed up? A few hours ago Naruto had been determined to let go of Sasuke and try to maybe start something this Gaara. Yesterday evening had felt so nice, but nothing, not even Gaara, could compare to the things he felt for Sasuke and with the slightest bit of hope that he could get back together with his husband, all his plans of a new relationship flew out of the window.

"And now for the local news", the woman on the screen said in her perfect, dialect free Japanese, catching Naruto's attention so he could simply focus on something else but Sasuke. "Earlier this morning local forestry workers found the body of a girl in the woods six miles outside of Konoha. The police believe her to be the missing foster child Isaribi-chan. The nine years old girl had gone missing Friday afternoon when she never got home from school that day. Just like the other victims, the girl was in the foster system, her parents having died in an accident three years ago. Whoever is doing this, aims only for children without stable families, it seems".

Naruto looked at the picture of the young girl behind the woman's head, taken during better times as far as he could tell. Almost a year ago the first abduction had occurred and so far the police had been unable to find the guy, who regularly abducted children. Children like Naruto. Twenty years earlier and his name could very well be among the victims.

With a sigh he switched off the TV. Listening to the news only made things worse and that was certainly not what he needed right now.

* * *

His face buried in his hands Sasuke was sitting on the edge of his large bed, still unable to recover from what had just happened. Why did all his conversations with Naruto go so horribly wrong? All he wanted was for the man to understand that he couldn't tell him his reasons for leaving, but Naruto being Naruto, wouldn't just back down only because Sasuke told him so. Of course he wouldn't. His stubbornness was part of his personality and also part of what Sasuke loved so much about him.

He really didn't know what to do now, but he wouldn't make the same mistake again and try to deal with it on his own. This time he knew he could ask Itachi for help and that he would do.

Finally looking up from his hands, he reached for the phone on the bedside cabinet and chose Itachi's number from his contacts.

"Otouto?", Itachi's voice said a few seconds later. "Is everything alright?".  
"No… it's not…", Sasuke answered, suddenly unsure what to say.  
"What happened?", Itachi asked, his voice thick with worry.  
"Naruto happened… he came to tell me wanted to sign the divorce papers… but only if I told him why I left in the first place. I can't tell him, Itachi. He'd go to father and confront him about it", Sasuke explained, his voice still a little husky.

There was silence at the other end of the line for a short while.  
"I know what you mean. Sasuke, do you still want him to agree to the divorce? I thought you'd maybe changed your mind about it".  
"I don't know… What if father finds another way to harm him because of me?"  
"He won't. I won't let him do it, Otouto. If you still want to be with Naruto, then fight for him. Don't let him sign any papers and show him that you still want him".

Sasuke sighed. He really, really wanted that. He wanted to be with Naruto more than anything, but he had made so many mistakes already and wasn't sure if his husband would ever forgive him, for being such an asshole.  
"I'm not sure he still wants me", he said.  
"Well, you'll find out, if you try, Sasuke. I'm sure he wouldn't just forget about you. Try to win him back and I'll do everything I can to help you, okay?", Itachi said calmly.  
"Thanks, nii-san", Sasuke replied, not sure if he really felt better but at least he knew that he could count on his brother in this.

It would hurt if Naruto rejected him, but there was at least the faint hope that things could still be fixed and he could be happy again, with the man he loved. Maybe it would take him years to make Naruto trust him again, but with Itachi having his back, Sasuke was sure he could manage. He'd have to take baby steps, but even those ultimately led to their destination.

No matter how long it would take him, Sasuke would try to win Naruto back, of that he was sure.

* * *

 **To be continued…**

 **The struggle is real, you see XD Sasuke had come to a decision, so Naruto's next. From now on, our favorite Uchiha has to put up a fight *g* Well, things wouldn't be interesting if they just got back together without complications, wouldn't they? And then there's also still Fugaku…**


	13. The Reason in the Madness

**It's been two weeks again already! Buuuut I finished the new chapter just in time! Some of you already guessed correctly that a confrontation between Itachi and Naruto is overdue and now it will happen. It thought for a long time about how that would play out and I came to the conclusion that Naruto still trusts Itachi, but needs some time to warm up to the thought. I also wanted Sasuke to know about Konohamaru, because I'm planning a scene were both of them will be important.**

 **I have another 3-4 weeks until my big final exam will demand most of my attention, but I already prepared enough chapters to keep updating for a while, even if I'm busy with studying *cheers***

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, if I did, the ending would've been quite different *g* All characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.**

* * *

 **Chapter 13 The Reason in the Madness**

"Narutonii-chan?", Konohamaru began, sitting down next to Naruto on the bench in the gym they had just finished their training in. After spending a few hours on the couch with his television, Naruto had yet again decided to go to work instead of hiding in his house. It wouldn't do him any good to keep sulking.

"Yes?", he said, turning his head to the boy next to him. The other kids were already off to the changing rooms and Naruto had just been waiting for them to finish, so he could close the dojo for today.

"Can I ask you a favour?", Konohamaru said, big brown eyes pleadingly looking up to Naruto. The boy always knew how to get what he wanted.  
"Of course you can, mate", Naruto answered with a reassuring smile.  
"Ojiichan is sick again… but… there's a parent-teacher conference on Friday… could you… go?", there was flush on Konohamaru's cheeks as he looked at Naruto waiting for his response.

Naruto watched the boy in silence for a few seconds. He knew the situation well enough. Most of his foster parents had never been interested enough to go to the parent-teacher conference and talk to his teachers about him. Not that Naruto would have gained anything from them being there, but it was sign of being loved.

"I'll do it. I'll go to your parent-teacher conference.  
"Really? Thank you, Narutonii-chan!", Konohamaru squealed in delight, jumping up and down in front of him. "My teachers are suuuuuper nice! One of them is Tori Sagi-san. I bet you'll like him. And Ebisu-sensei, too", he added still too excited to hold still for at least a second.

Naruto laughed wholeheartedly at Konohamaru's obvious joy. Sometimes especially small things, like meeting a child's teacher, could light up their entire day and make them happy. Just as happy as Naruto had been that day, when Sasuke had shared his lunch with him for the first time. With all the recent events that day on the rooftop felt a lifetime away. As if he'd only dreamed it.

"I'll go change and then you can take me home, okay?", Konohamaru asked, interrupting Naruto's musings about the past.  
"Sounds good to me", Naruto replied, getting up from the bench. He would just take a quick shower and change into his street cloths, before going home.

* * *

With Sarutobi-san sick again, Naruto decided to take Konohamaru with him for supper. He still had some Mie Noodles and could easily chop a few vegetables to prepare a decent meal for a child in growth. As usual his young guest was happy with anything Naruto provided and never once complained about the healthy food on his plate while he ate.

After his confrontation with Sasuke in the morning, Naruto was quite content to spend the rest of the evening with an eight-year-old, whose problems differed to greatly from his that it appeared almost refreshing. It was easier to worry about unfinished homework and who would make it into the school's Baseball Team, now that one of the players had moved to a different city. Konohamaru's chitchat was a welcome opportunity for Naruto to stop brooding and let himself be distracted.

They were sitting on the couch after their meal, Naruto having promised another episode of One Piece to the boy before Konohamaru had to go home, so his gramps wouldn't worry about him. The episode had barely begun when the doorbell rang again.

Konohamaru looked up at Naruto and jumped off the couch in excitement, eager to see who would visit this late in the evening. Naruto half expected Sasuke to have changed his mind, and would have preferred not to have his husband meet Konohamaru, but he also had no valid reason to keep the boy from opening the door.

With a sigh he rose from the sofa and followed the boy down the hall, where Konohamaru was already opening the door. Lately, it seemed, people on his doorstep were bound to be a surprise.

"Itachi…", Naruto breathed, still standing a good yard away from the door when Konohamaru opened it.

Dark eyes locked onto the boy, and Naruto crossed the last distance, placing both hands on Konohamaru's shoulders as he looked at his new visitor. Whatever Itachi thought about having an eight-year old open the door for him, it didn't show on his face. Itachi appeared calm and patient as always.

"Good evening, Naruto", he said with the tiniest of smiles on is lips.  
"Narutonii-chan, who is this?", Konohamaru asked, looking up at Naruto over his shoulder.  
"That's… Itachi-san. He's an old friend", Naruto answered, hesitating a little. He knew Itachi had noticed the honorific Naruto had used to address him, creating more distance between the two of them than ever before.

"Hello Itachi-san! I'm Konohamaru! Nice to meet you", the boy said finally letting Itachi inside.  
"Hello, Konohamaru-chan. The pleasure is all mine", Itachi replied, taking off his shoes and jacket.

Naruto swallowed hard as he watched his brother in law interact with the boy. Itachi had always been good with children. Not very surprising, considering that he'd brought up Sasuke almost entirely on his own while simultaneously watching over Naruto as well. He owed a great deal to Itachi and usually Naruto would have been happy to meet the man, but with the recent events there could only be one reason why Itachi was here. He wanted to talk about the divorce.

Naruto cleared his throat, gaining both, Itachi's and Konohamaru's attention. "Come on, buddy. It's already dark outside. Your ojiichan is already waiting for you. Get ready, I'm taking you home".  
Konohamaru furrowed his brows. "But you promised we'd watch One Piece!", he exclaimed indignantly.  
"Yeah, I know I did. I'll make it up to you, okay? We can't have Sarutobi-san worry about you".  
Konohamaru pouted, but complied anyway. Itachi took a few steps towards Naruto, while the boy got dressed.

"I know why you're here", Naruto whispered, meeting Itachi's dark eyes which looked so much like Sasuke's. "Just let me take him home, and then we'll talk".  
Itachi nodded in agreement. "Take your time. I'll wait".

With another glance at Itachi, Naruto also put on his shoes. He wouldn't need a jacket for the few yards across the street.  
"Can I come by tomorrow, nii-chan?", Konohamaru asked, as they walked down the front stairs. It had started to rain a little and the wind was colder than the days before.  
"Of course you can. As long as your ojiichan is sick, I'll cook dinner for you, okay?", Naruto answered with a smile.  
"Awww, thank you, nii-chan! I'll just come to the dojo after school, yeah?"  
"That's okay. But you'll have to wait for me. I still have classes after your schoolday's over"

They had almost reached the house where Konohamaru lived with his grandfather while they spoke and Naruto was once again glad that they only had to cross the street. He felt nervous about Itachi waiting for him back in his house, but he also didn't want to make him wait longer than necessary.

"Can I watch? I want to see the older guys fight! I want to be as good as them one day! I want to be as good as you!", Konohamaru squealed.  
"You can watch, but you have to as silent as a mouse, you know? The guys need to concentrate", Naruto explained, while Konohamaru started to search for his house key in the pocket of his jacket.  
"Yep, I'll be stock-still. I promise!", he said, finally opening the front door.  
"Very good. I'll see you after school, mate", Naruto said, feeling all the more anxious about the conversation waiting for him.

Konohamaru nodded and went inside. Naruto could hear his voice through the closed door as the boy greeted his grandfather. Konohamaru really was lucky to have Sarutobi-san. As a child Naruto had often wished for grandparents to take him in and care for him, but they'd all been dead already by the time Minato and Kushina had died.

Shaking his head to get rid of the unpleasant memories, he went back home. It was better not to dwell on such things, but to look forward and move on. Maybe that even applied to his Sasuke-problem.

Naruto took off his shoes and entered the living room, where Itachi was sitting on the couch, waiting for him. His forearms were resting on his thighs and he had hands folded between his knees, as he looked up at Naruto, smiling again of course.

"He's quite a handful, isn't he?", Itachi said good-humoredly, sitting up and stretching his arms over his head.  
"He certainly is. But I guess you're not here to talk about Konohamaru", Naruto replied, leaning against the doorframe, not fully entering. He needed to keep his distance. Itachi was his childhood, a man he confided in, but the last Uchiha he'd trusted had also betrayed that trust.  
"Actually, now that I'm here, I'd very much like to talk about your little… ward…", Itachi answered calmly.  
"Ward? He's the neighbour's son, nothing more or less. I care for him the way you cared for me. Like a little brother", Naruto explained. He could feel his temper rising inside his chest. After all the shit with Sasuke he really didn't want to justify anything in front of Itachi.  
"Well, it's good that he has you", Itachi replied cryptically. "Why don't you sit down?".

Naruto knew that it wasn't as much a question as it was a demand and complied, sitting down next to the man, who had provided him with a lunchbox all through his school life.  
"Where are his parents?", he wanted to know, those fathomless onyx eyes holding Naruto's gaze as they sat together.  
"They're dead. He lives with his grandfather, but Sarutobi-san is getting old and he can't care for Konohamaru as much as he wants. So I take care of him every once in a while. Make sure he eats enough", Naruto answered, more calmly this time. There was no avoiding Itachi's question, so why bother?

"He sounds a lot like you, when you were younger", Itachi stated matter-of-factly. He'd always been like this – trying to see everything as objective as possible without feelings clouding his judgment. Sometimes it seemed like he had a clearer insight into Naruto than he had himself; which was quite scary at times.  
"Yeah, at least he has his gramps. He's not as lonely as I was. That's at least what I hope", Naruto smiled a little. The atmosphere in the room was a strange mixture of anxiety and yet calmness, leaving Naruto torn between being on edge and relaxing at the same time. Itachi's presence obviously did funny things to him.  
"You weren't always lonely", he said, but not reproachful only a little amused.  
"No, I wasn't with you and Sasuke", Naruto admitted, still not too sure where this conversation was headed.

Itachi sighed and closed his eyes for a moment.  
"I wanted to talk about that divorce with you", he finally said, as he reopened his eyes to look at the man in front of him.  
"No need", Naruto sputtered, unable to keep the words in. "I don't know who much Sasuke already told you, but I'm no longer opposed. I already talked to him and told him I would sign the papers. All I wanted, was for him to tell me why he left. But he refused. Really? Do I really ask too much of him, if I want to know why my husband simply abandoned me? I-"  
"Naruto…", Itachi tried to interrupt in vain.  
"I would sign them. I mean it. You don't have to coax me into it. Just make Sasuke tell me and we're done with all this shit-"  
"Naruto! Stop", Itachi interrupted with more emphasis. "That's not why I'm here".

Naruto blinked at Itachi after that unusual interruption, but kept quite this time, waiting for what the older man had to say to him.

"I'm not here to coax you into anything, Naruto. In fact, I wanted to talk to you about… well… I wanted to know whether you still love my brother", Itachi continued after Naruto had been quite for a long enough time, to convince him that he could continue without another flood of words.  
"If I… still love him…?", Naruto repeated slightly irritated, before raising his right hand and showing Itachi the finger were his wedding ring had been. Even after taking it off yesterday, the tan line it had left was still visible.

Itachi looked at the mark and sighed. He'd always known, that the bond between his brother and his blond boyfriend (later husband) was almost indestructible. Even now, after Sasuke had been gone for five years, and had brought back nothing but pain for Naruto, the man remained loyal.  
"Why are you willing to agree to the divorce?", Itachi asked, already guessing what the reason was, but he wanted to hear it from Naruto.

"Because… that's what Sasuke wants, obviously", Naruto answered, very much just like Itachi had guessed, but he wasn't satisfied yet.  
"Obviously? Why's that so obvious?", he inquired further.

Naruto furrowed his brows in irritation, but replied anyway: "Just in case you haven't noticed, he's the one who told me he wanted us to divorce, not the other way around".  
"I know what he did, but do you believe him? Do you really believe that he doesn't love you anymore?"  
"He loves me. I know that. I could see it in his eyes the day he came back. One second longer and he would have kissed me, but that doesn't keep him from trying to get rid of me, Itachi", Naruto told him, shaking his head as he did so.

It was all so confusing. Nothing made sense anymore.

"Why do you want to agree then?", Itachi pressed on, determined to make Naruto say, what he wanted to hear. He was sure, both, his brother and Naruto, only needed to see how ridiculous the whole situation was and that there were other ways to deal with everything, rather than separation.  
"Because I can't force him to be with me. He loves me, yes. But that's obviously not enough. He loves your clan and family legacy even more than me and I won't chain him to me, just because he doesn't want the media to know about us. I'm not that desperate", Naruto averted his gaze, his temper rising again as he defended his decision in front of one of the few people whose judgment really meant something to him.

Itachi looked at him in silence for such a long time that Naruto almost expected him not to answer at all. The silence wasn't exactly uncomfortable, but as secretive a person as Itachi would be, it was impossible to just guess what he was thinking and right now, Naruto really wanted to know Itachi's opinion.

"He doesn't", he said, as if he'd thought about those two simple words for a long time.  
"Doesn't what?", Naruto asked, slightly confused by the cryptic response that certainly needed a bit more explanation.  
"Sasuke doesn't love our clan or its legacy more than you", Itachi offered.  
Naruto huffed in annoyance. "Of course not. Getting rid of me is just his way of showing affection", his voice was rich with sarcasm. Usually he wouldn't be like that, but the whole situation was so absurd it was almost ridiculous.  
"He is suffering just as much as you are"  
"Then why does he do this? Why the whole divorce thing?"  
"He thinks he has to do it"

Naruto furrowed his brows. All this didn't make any sense to him anymore. Why would Sasuke ask for a divorce if he loved Naruto more than his family? So far Naruto had thought the reason for the divorce was the girl Sasuke intended to marry once he was free of his husband.  
"Why, Itachi? Stop speaking in riddles!"  
"It's not my place to tell you what's happened if he refuses to, but just believe me when I say that he loves you more than anything".

Shaking his head in disbelieve, Naruto go up from the couch and started to walk up and down in front of it. "Why are you here Itachi? What do you want?", he asked, still not really knowing what the purpose of this visit was.  
"I'm here to ask you not to sign the divorce papers. At least for now. I'm here to call upon your patients for a little longer. Can you do that?", Itachi admitted, finally nothing but serious.

Naruto stopped in his tracks and looked at the man on the sofa, considering his words. So Itachi had come to ask him for what? Time? Time for Sasuke to make up his mind about what he wanted? If his love for Naruto was stronger than the duties, binding him to the Uchiha name? And even if he agreed to wait, how long would it take Sasuke, to decide? A day? A weak? Five years?

"I waited for five years…", he murmured more to himself than to Itachi, but he received an answer anyway.  
"I know you have. I'm sorry I didn't come sooner, but Sasuke… he never told me what happened".  
"Hn. Me neither. But here I was, waiting for my absentee husband to finally return to me. How stupid is that?"

Itachi shook his head. "It's not stupid. You love him. And he loves you, we both know it. Give him a little more time to figure things out".

Naruto sighed deeply. Actually, he was pretty fed up with the whole situation, but after waiting for five years, what could a few more days or weak do to him? And so far Sasuke hadn't agreed to his conditions, so there wouldn't be any signing soon, anyway.  
"After everything that's happened… that's a big thing to ask for… I just want that nightmare to end. But… I trust you Itachi… I'll probably regret it in the end… I won't sign the papers… for now… "

For a brief moment, Itachi smiled at him. "Thank you, Naruto. You will not regret it. I'm sure".

"I hope you're right".

* * *

Far too early the next morning, Sasuke woke from his sleep, when his phone started to buzz right next to his ear. He opened his eyes and looked at the bright screen, showing a number he didn't know. Last time that had happened, it had been Naruto sending him drunken texts, but this wasn't Naruto trying to call him. Sasuke would have recognized his husband's phone number right away. But this one was unknown to him.

Blinking the sleep from his eyes, he pressed the green button to answer the call. Usually he would just ignore an unfamiliar caller, but this was his private phone and only a few people had that number, so whoever it was, had a connection to him.

"Yes?", he said into the speaker, not bothering to introduce himself to his caller.  
"Sasuke? Did I wake you?", a female voice asked. Sasuke tried to remember where he knew it from, but the memory remained lost.  
"No. Not really", he just answered, his confusion obvious as he spoke.  
"That's good!", the woman said excitedly. "I just wanted to know when to expect you back in Tokyo. So we can start with the preparations for the wedding!"

Sasuke closed his eyes as the pieces fell into place. Karin. He had never given her his private number, but his father probably had and now she was calling him to pressure him into coming back to Tokyo sooner.

"Did no one tell you that I'm on a business trip right now?", he asked not too friendly, but having his fiancé cling to him didn't make things any easier. He wanted to win Naruto back, but he had to be prudent in doing so. If he made Karin suspicious, his father would knock at his door in no time.  
"Ah, yes, your father did, actually. But I thought I'd try to call you anyway. We're to be wed and we don't really know each other so far. Maybe we'll get more comfortable with each other that way", Karin explained good-naturedly.  
"Ah, yes. Well, it sounds like a good idea, but I'm quite busy right now. Can I call you back later?", Sasuke said, trying to get rid of her for now and have time to come up with a valid story he could tell her.  
"Of course! I'm sorry if I interrupted something important! Just call me when you're free. Your father wants us to have a proper engagement celebration once you are back. We have to talk about that"  
"Yeah… we will… Later, then".  
"Okay, bye!"

The call ended and the line went dead while Sasuke still held the phone to his ear, trying to wrap his mind around recent events. His father had given his number to Karin and Karin had called him to get to know him better and plan an engagement celebration – well, if that wasn't Fugaku trying to manipulate him. His father wasn't all that subtle it seemed. But obvious or not, it put even more pressure on Sasuke. If he wanted to get back with Naruto, he had to be fast or else his family would get suspicious and end his efforts before they'd even started.

Maybe it was for the best, to start right away and at least try to talk to Naruto. Explain that he'd changed his mind about everything and that he wanted to make an attempt at getting back to together. He knew, his husband wouldn't have to work before noon and it was still early enough for Sasuke to get ready now and visit Naruto with enough time for the two of them to talk about their marriage.

He got out of bed, checking his phone for other missed calls or texts, finding one from his father that also informed him about the engagement celebration once he was back home, which Sasuke choose to ignore for now.

He went to the bathroom to shower and get ready, for the first time in years actually worrying about his looks as he spiked up his hair. If he were to get his husband back, he had to put some effort in it and that started with looking absolutely stunning. Sasuke knew Naruto liked the way he wore his hair and therefore made sure it looked absolutely perfect today.

It took him almost thirty minutes to decide what he wanted to wear and he felt like a sixteen-year old on the way to his first date, by the time he was finally ready to leave his hotel room. But as he walked to the door and opened it, he found a visitor on the threshold.  
"Itachi?", he said, a bit surprised by the unannounced visit.  
"Hello, Otouto, going somewhere?", he asked with an amused smile on his lips.  
"Actually, yes. I was on my way to Naruto", Sasuke replied, hoping to get rid of his brother. What was it with his family bothering him today?

"Ah, yes, I see. But first, let me tell you something", Itachi insisted, pushing Sasuke back into the room and closing the door.  
"What is it? I have to go now, otherwise he'll be off to work", Sasuke said impatiently, crossing his warms in front of his chest.  
"Maybe you should visit him tonight instead of now", Itachi replied, leaning against the doorframe as if to keep his brother from leaving.  
"And why is that?"  
"Because you'll want to meet the boy"

Sasuke furrowed his brows and looked questioningly at his brother. "What boy?".  
"His name is Sarutobi Konohamaru, he's eight years old and he lives next door to Naruto. His parents died and his grandfather is way past his prime, so Naruto keeps looking after him. He cooks dinner for him, has him train at the dojo and helps him with his homework. Just like a proper older brother would do", Itachi explained, watching the emotions on Sasuke's face with interest.

"Why are you telling me this?", he wanted to know, torn between confusion and pride. Naruto had always been a caring person and that he'd taken responsibility for a boy in a situation similar to his own filled Sasuke with pride.

Itachi smiled at him and tugged a loose strand of hair behind his right ear. "Because I know you'll want to see it for yourself and know what you're getting yourself into. Naruto's life has changed without you. That doesn't mean that there's no place for you, but you have to fit into the situation as a whole".

Sasuke thought about his brother's words for a moment before he nodded. "Yeah… you're right. I want to meet that boy and I want to see Naruto's life for myself. But I'll find a way to fit into it. I'm not good with children, but the boy isn't Naruto's son".  
"No, he's not. And he will never be, but he's like your crush's little brother who will be bothering you for a while".  
"I can live with that".  
"Good. I'll leave you to it then. Tell me how your meeting went", Itachi said, pushing away from the doorframe.  
"I will. Thank you, nii-san", Sasuke replied, nodding at his brother. He was grateful for the additional information, even if it wouldn't change his resolve to fight for Naruto. And once he'd told his husband that he wanted him back, he'd also ask Itachi for help with their family.

* * *

Back to his stalker-like self, Sasuke sat in his Lexus in front of Naruto's dojo later that very same day, waiting for his husband to leave work. Many children and parents had already come out of the traditional building, but so far there was no sign of the trait mark blond hair and goofy grin. For a moment, Sasuke wondered whether Naruto had stayed at home today, before the man in question finally walked through the front gate.

He wasn't alone of course. Gaara and a brown haired boy, Sasuke assumed it was Konohamaru, were accompanying him. From his car, Sasuke couldn't hear what they were talking about, but he could see them laughing together, or to be more precise Naruto was laughing about something Konohamaru told him, while Gaara remained impassive and yet seemed to watch over them like a calm protector.

Jealousy burned in Sasuke's throat. If anything that was his role. He should be the one at Naruto's side, taking care of him, not some friend he'd only met a few years ago. Sasuke had spent almost his entire life with the man and he wouldn't let Gaara or anyone else, take his place.

He swallowed his anger and waited for the three of them to reach Naruto's car, were his husband and Konohamaru waved goodbye to Gaara and got in. The jealousy subsided at least a bit, as soon as Gaara walked away from the car, destroying the image of a laughing family.

Sasuke followed Naruto in his car on the way home, but stopped a little further down the street, as to not make his husband aware of his presence yet. After waiting for another fifteen minutes Sasuke got out of the vehicle and walked up to the house, taking in the sight that had greeted him daily when he'd still lived here.

He missed this house and everything that came with it. In his dream a few nights ago, the atmosphere alone had been enough for him, to forget all about his resolves. Today, while walking up the stairs, he felt a different kind of anticipation than before. He hadn't come to cut Naruto off again, but to fix things.

It felt a little a first date and Sasuke had changed his clothes like three times again before he'd finally left his room, just to make sure he would look absolutely perfect for his husband. His heart beating fast, he raised a hand and rang the doorbell, impatiently waiting for the door to open.

When it did, he half expected the boy to look at him, but it was in fact Naruto himself, narrowing his eyes at him, as soon as he recognized his visitor.  
"Sasuke. Why are you here?", he asked, averting his gaze, as to not look at the man in question.  
"I… wanted to talk to you. Not about the divorce, if that's what you think. Just talk. And I wanted to meet the boy", Sasuke answered, carefully choosing every word. He'd already done so much damage to their relationship that it would now take a great deal of effort to win back Naruto's trust.

Sasuke could almost taste the tension between them, but he couldn't blame Naruto for being suspicious.  
"You want to meet Konohamaru? Why?", Naruto asked, already starting to close the door. Sasuke took a step forward, placing his hand on the edge of the door to keep Naruto from closing it. This moment was crucial, and he had to keep his husband from shutting him out for good.  
"Because he's a part of your life", Sasuke answered, applying pressure to the wood to keep it open.  
"Yeah, he is. But you aren't", Naruto replied, pushing back. It was almost ridiculous, how they stood in front of each other, one hand on the door, fighting for dominance over a piece of wood that meant so much and yet nothing at all.  
Sasuke closed his eyes for a second and as his opened them again, he said: "But I want to be".

His words seemed to surprise Naruto for a moment and he loosened his grip on the handle, providing Sasuke with the opportunity to fully open the door and step onto the threshold, inches away from Naruto himself. He could smell his aftershave, the very same one he'd already used when they were in High School. Sasuke had chosen it for Naruto at the time, because he loved the scent so much.

Dark eyes met blue ones as they stood close to each other, neither of them brave enough to make move. A moment, almost frozen in time. And oh so slowly Sasuke leaned down, for he was taller by a few inches, until his lips were right next to Naruto's ear, almost touching the warm skin, as he finally spoke.

"Please, don't shut me out".

* * *

 **To be continued…**

 **So this is it. Sasuke Is taking matters into his own hands! Yay! What do you think? Should Naruto let him in or not? *g* And what is your opinion about Itachi's conversation with Naruto? *g* I'm dying to read your thoughts on this. Love you all! You are the best!**


	14. The Past in the Present

**Hey Guys! Sorry for the short delay, I know I'm one day too late, but yesterday was kinda busy and I didn't have time to do the last editing of the new chapter. Good news is though that I passed my last class at University ever! Now I just shouldn't fail my state exam in September.**

 **Rereading the chapter today, showed me that I really like it. I hope you will, too! This time I wanted Naruto and Sasuke to interact without constant conflict, but rather as naturally as possible in a situation like this. If you want, let me know what you think about it.**

 **So I'm heading back to my Shakespeare books and hope to finish another chapter before I have to study 11 hours a day in August T-T. Love you all!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, if I did, the ending would've been quite different *g* All characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.**

* * *

 **Chapter 14 The Past in the Present**

A not at all unpleasant shiver ran down Naruto's spine when Sasuke's breath fanned over the sensitive skin of his ear and neck. His body screamed at him to just wrap his arms around the man and pull him close, but his mind was petrified. All he could think about were the hurtful words about getting rid of him for good, Sasuke had uttered just a few days ago. Very slowly he stepped aside and let Sasuke past into the house.

Curious about what took Naruto so long, Konohamaru peeked into the hallway, spotting the unfamiliar man now taking off his shoes.  
"Narutonii-chan, who's that?", he asked, as he walked towards the two men.

Naruto turned around and smiled at the boy. "That's… Sasuke. He's a friend. Remember, Gaara and I told you about him", Naruto explained, hoping that Konohamaru wouldn't notice the slight tension in his voice. Having Sasuke in their house again, after what had happened last time, felt strange, even a little scary.  
Konohamaru furrowed his brows and turned towards Sasuke, fisting the hem of his shirt. "You are the guy who made Narutonii-chan cry?", he asked accusingly.

Sasuke instantly looked at Naruto, who could feel the flush creep up his neck. Trust children to always tell the truth, no matter how much you'd like to keep it hidden. "Yeah… I guess that's him", Naruto answered, his voice thick with embarrassment as Sasuke still looked at him with those fathomless eyes.

Konohamaru walked up to Sasuke and put his hands on his hips in front of him. "Don't you dare hurt Naruto again! If you do, you'll have me to contend with!", he said all protectively.  
Sasuke tilted his head and eyed him up for a long moment, before he knelt down and nodded. "I promise I won't hurt him ever again. I am very sorry for what I said".

Naruto took a step back and watched the exchange between his husband and the boy, slightly shaken by Sasuke's words. What on earth had happened in the past twenty-four hours? Had he really changed his mind about the divorce or did he try to be polite and not start a fight in front of a child? Nothing made sense anymore and Naruto couldn't bring himself to trust Sasuke's sudden change of heart, no matter how much he wished he could.

"Really? Do you promise?", Konohamaru asked a lot more forgiving now.  
Sasuke nodded again, still on eye level with him. "Yes, I promise. I made a mistake, but I will make up for it from now on".  
Konohamaru looked up at Naruto, who was still caught in his own musings, for a second, before he too nodded. "Fine. You can stay. We wanted to cook dinner. Are you hungry?".  
Briefly hesitating, Sasuke got up and took Konohamaru's hand. "Dinner sounds like a great idea. What are you having tonight?".  
"I don't know. Naruto-nii wanted to cook for us", Konohamaru explained and then glanced at Naruto: "Are you coming, nii-chan?".

Naruto finally nodded, following his husband and guest into the kitchen. The whole situation was so surreal, as if both his lives had just collided. A few days ago he'd been so sure that this was a life he could only share with Gaara and now Sasuke was here, getting ready to cook with Konohamaru. It felt as if the past came crashing back into the present.

Together they entered the kitchen, Sasuke leaning against the counter, as he looked at Naruto, waiting for him announce his dinner plans, while Konohamaru left them alone for the sake of the couch and television.

"So, what's the plan, dobe?", Sasuke asked, never taking his eyes off his husband.  
"Honestly, I hadn't made up my mind yet, before you showed up. I guess I just wanted to wing it", Naruto admitted, opening the fridge so they could both get an idea of what was available. The tension was still thick between them, but the longer they interacted, the more it started to feel all natural again.

"Sounds like you. But I guess I have an idea", Sasuke said, peeking into the fridge, before taking out various vegetables. "You have some Nori and Mirin?", he added, opening the cupboard they'd always used for food supplies that didn't need cooling.

"Yeah, I have. It's in the back I guess. What are you planning?", Naruto said, while watching his husband search through the cupboard, as if he'd never been gone at all. Why did this feel so right? So familiar? One should think that after five years apart they would both have changed too much; that they wouldn't be able to live with each other anymore, but at this very moment their old dynamics automatically kicked back in and it felt too good to be true.

"Ramen", Sasuke answered, taking the Mirin and Nori leafs from the cupboard and placing them on the counter. His gaze fell on the olive oil in the corner and he closed his eyes for a brief moment, forcing the memories of his dream about this very kitchen and the way he'd used that oil, into the back of his mind. He was here to bond with Naruto, not to jump him like a horny teenager.

"Ramen?", Naruto asked, slightly sceptical. "I have a whole stash of instant ramen, teme".  
"I know you have. But homemade is always better", Sasuke replied, searching for the chopping boards, so they could start cutting the vegetables he intended to add.

"You are unbelievable", Naruto replied, taking a peeler and some carrots from the kitchen counter. What did the guy even think? Showing up out of nowhere, behaving as if nothing had changed? A whole fucking lot had changed! And Naruto was determined not to make it that easy for Sasuke to get under his skin again. The guy had tried to divorce him and even if it seemed like he'd somehow miraculously changed his mind, Naruto just couldn't forget, let alone forgive what Sasuke had done. And above all, he still didn't know what had happened five years ago.

Sasuke didn't reply and for a while the only sound to be heard in the kitchen was the constant noise of knifes hitting the cutting board as they chopped of all kinds of vegetables. Every now and then Sasuke threw a sideway glance at Naruto, watching him as he handled the ingredients, blue eyes fixed on whatever was currently in his hands, and his brows furrowed in concentration. He looked absolutely adorable and reminded Sasuke so much of the boy he'd fallen in love with all these years ago. The boy who'd always ignored his personal space and teared down his inner walls.

He cherished the simple moment they shared, as they silently prepared a meal they would share. Officially this would mean the death of his divorce plans, because the law said that they had to live separate lives for over a year, before they could end their marriage, and 'separated lives' meant to share neither table nor bed and at least the first requirement couldn't be met after tonight.

While Naruto kept chopping, Sasuke began with the soup, by putting the kettle on and adding salt, and Mirin and the first already cut vegetables to the water as soon as it started to boil. He knew the broth would take some time on the stove to develop a decent taste – time Sasuke could use to get closer to Naruto, who was close to finishing with his chopping, adding broccoli to the broth. He walked up behind Naruto, pretend to peek over his shoulder at what he was doing with his hands, standing close enough now for their bodies to almost touch. He inhaled Naruto's warm, sunny scent und leaned closer, nuzzling him.

The sudden contact made Naruto jump and effectively cut his index finger with the sharp knife. Heat spread to his cheeks and he yelp a surprised "Ow!", as blood oozed from the wound. Sasuke immediately took a step back and turned Naruto around to see what had happened.

Forgetting all about how they'd not lived together in years, Sasuke did what he had always done in situations like that – he took Naruto's finger into his mouth a licked the blood away. He ran his tongue over sensitive skin and watched the flush on his husband's cheeks deepen oven more. Onyx eyes locked with cerulean ones, never breaking the contact, as he soothingly caressed the cut.

"S… Sasuke…", Naruto stammered, stunned by the sensation of his husband's tongue running over the wound and simultaneously remembering a very different situation during which Sasuke had coated his fingers with saliva to make them slick. He suppressed a groan as the words _Now prepare yourself for me!_ echoed through his mind. His body felt suddenly too hot and the intimate situation was too much to bear. With an apologetic look on his face he pulled his finger out of Sasuke's mouth, averting his gaze. "It's… it's better now… thanks", he said, turning around to stare at the offensive knife.

Sasuke looked at Naruto for a moment, before a sigh escaped his lips. He'd been too quick about it, hadn't he? Damn it, taking things slow wasn't his strong point. Instead of saying something that would only make the situation more awkward, he went into the bathroom and took a plaster from the drawer they'd always kept their dressing material in. Back in the kitchen Naruto was still looking at the knife as if it were the most fascinating thing in the world.

"Come here", Sasuke said, leaning against the counter next to Naruto and reaching for the injured hand. At first Naruto wanted to withdraw, but Sasuke closed his hand around Naruto's wrist and kept him from doing so. This time their eyes didn't meet as Sasuke carefully put the plaster on the small wound, his fingers carefully dancing over tanned skin as he did so.

Naruto's breath hitched as he watched his husband put the plaster on and he could feel the flush creep back, but it wasn't unpleasant at all. On the contrary, being patched up by Sasuke felt incredibly good.

"There you go", he said, turning back to the broth and adding the last bits of broccoli as if nothing had happened. Naruto stared at him for a moment, lost for words.  
"Are you okay, dobe? You didn't cut off your tongue, did you?", Sasuke asked, now slightly amused.  
Naruto furrowed his brows again. "No I didn't. I wouldn't even have cut my finger, if you hadn't startled me, teme", he replied pouting.  
"I'm sorry. I couldn't resist the temptation", Sasuke explained with a chuckle.  
"Why? Why are you doing this? You wanted to get rid of me just a few days ago", Naruto said, shaking his head in disbelieve.  
Sasuke glanced at the living room door and smiled a little. "We'll talk about that later. The ramen is almost finished and you still have a guest".

With that, he turned away from his husband and took a package of ramen noodles from the cupboard, to add them, as well as the nori, to the broth. He would give Naruto time and space to become accustomed to the thought of them talking about their relationship later that day.

Half an hour later, all three of them were seated around the table in the kitchen, each with a large bowl of steaming ramen in front of them. Naruto had to admit the scent alone was mouth-watering and way batter than any instant ramen would be, but Sasuke had always been a great cook.

Konohamaru was slurping his noodles noisily, with a happy grin on his face. "That's soooooo delicious, Sasuke-san", he chirped, a few drops of broth running down his chin as he spoke. Sasuke leaned forward to wipe it away, before the boy would soil his clothes and said: "Thank you, Konohamaru. Just Sasuke is fine by the way".

Naruto watched the exchange between the boy and the man who'd always claimed he was no good with kids, while Konohamaru grinned goofily again and nodded, before slurping the next handful of noodles off his chopsticks.  
The boy was right however, the food really was delicious and even though Naruto's younger self would always have preferred meat in his ramen, he found himself quite satisfied with only the healthier stuff.

"You like it?", Sasuke asked, watching Naruto while he ate.  
"It's very good. Thank you", Naruto answered, feeling the red flush dust his cheeks again. What was it that he now always felt flustered around Sasuke? A few hours ago he would have liked to just kick the asshole's ass, but here he was, eating ramen with the husband who had broken his heart and he couldn't just _not_ enjoy his company.  
"I'm glad", Sasuke replied with a smile so small it almost wasn't there.

"Did you two make out?", Konohamaru suddenly asked, taking both men by surprise.  
Naruto coughed with a mouthful of ramen, making his eyes water as he quickly tried to swallow without burning his throat and Sasuke lowered his chopsticks while blinking rapidly at the boy.  
"W… What did you just say?", Naruto rasped as soon as he'd gulped down his food, still coughing a bit.  
Konohamaru looked perfectly innocent and slightly confused by the strong reactions he'd earned from the two men. "Well, Narutonii-chan you said, you and Sasuke had a fight, but now you seem to get along again. That means you made out", he explained happily.  
Sasuke chuckled a bit and shook his head at Konohamaru. "What you mean is 'to make up', he explained with a wink.  
"Oooohhh. I understand! But what does 'make out' mean then?", he asked curiously.  
"It means 'to kiss'. Now, enough of the questions. Eat your ramen", Sasuke said with a stern look on his face.

Konohamaru nodded and went back to eating in silence, or at least he didn't ask any more questions and resumed telling them about his day in school, simultaneously reminding Naruto of the parent teacher conference the next day.

After their meal, Naruto decided that it was time for Konohamaru to go home, as not to worry his grandfather by staying out too late.

However, finally being alone with Sasuke in the house they'd bought together, suddenly felt quite strange. So far Konohamaru had been like a soft cushion separating them and keeping their minds off each other, but now there was no distraction left.

"I'm going to do the dishes", Naruto announced, walking into the kitchen, where he gathered the remaining bowls, chop sticks and other stuff they'd used for cooking.  
"I can help you", Sasuke said, taking the bowls from him to put them into the dishwasher.  
"There's no need for it", Naruto replied, as he reached for the cutting boards on the counter. "I can put everything but the pot into the dishwasher. Why don't you just wait for me in the living room?".  
Sasuke paused for a moment before shaking his head. "No, it was my idea to make ramen, so I'll wash the pot. It's only fair".

He honestly didn't know why it seemed so important to him, to help Naruto with something as trivial as this, but he couldn't bring himself to leave his husband alone with this. He wanted to win him back, so he'd have to show some determination and that included simple things as well as big ones.

"Okay, but I'll at least wipe it dry and afterwards we'll go sit on the couch with a glass of sake. I'll need alcohol for whatever you're going to tell me", Naruto gave in.

They did the rest of the dishes in silence, Sasuke just relishing in the familiar feeling of having Naruto by his side, while Naruto himself felt tense and unsure what to expect. He still loved Sasuke that was for sure, but even he couldn't just forget the past five years.  
He'd always dreamed of Sasuke to come back and apologize, sure that he'd just take him back without even considering otherwise, but now as it was about to happen, he realized that things weren't that easy. You couldn't just forgive because you wanted to, because forgiving also needed trust and trust was the one thing he right now lacked when it came to Sasuke.

Who in their right mind would just like that take someone like him back? Even without the divorce-thing it would have been hard, but considering that Sasuke lately seemed to change his mind even more frequently then he changed his clothes, made just trusting him impossible.

Naruto loved him, yes. But sometimes love alone just wasn't enough.

With two small cups and a bottle of sake, they sat on the couch, each of them feeling awkward for their own personal reasons. Sasuke didn't like the feeling. They'd never been awkward around each other before. With Naruto, things had always felt so natural. But Sasuke himself had been the one to gamble that feeling away. Now he had to pay the prize for his mistakes.

Naruto filled each of their cups with some of the clear liquid, before leaning back, his blue eyes now fixed on the man next to him, who took a sip from his sake.  
"He reminds me of you, when you were his age", he said unexpectedly. Naruto blinked in surprise. He'd thought Sasuke would want to talk about what he came for immediately, but instead, he'd chosen to talk about Konohamaru.  
"Does he?", Naruto asked, not really sure how to react.  
"He definitely shares your amount of energy", Sasuke answered with a low chuckle that made Naruto's heart skip a beat. He'd missed that sound so much. His entire life Sasuke's 'hn's and chuckles had surrounded him.

"Yeah… he's quite energetic…", Naruto said, taking a sip from his cup, so he could hide his face behind it. It might have been childish, considering that the man in front of him was his husband after all and they were way beyond the insecurities of teenagers, but the gap between what his heart felt and what his mind said, made it hard to act freely around the man he knew so well.

"So were you", Sasuke almost softly replied, his eyes now locked on the rim of Naruto's cup that was still touching his lips.  
"Was I?"  
"Well, I recall a few times. For example, when you first met Jiraiya. There was that upcoming tournament and you really wanted to improve, so you could make it to the finals, remember? Jiraiya had been on a trip to China for some months, to gather 'information' for his new book, and when he came back, the two of us had joined the dojo. You wouldn't stop bothering him until he took you as his disciple".  
"Yeah. I remember that. I was quite stubborn about it and I honestly think that Jiraiya sometimes wondered what had gotten into him, when he agreed to train me", Naruto answered with a small, fond smile on his lips. He missed the old perv every day.

"I don't think he regrets taking you as his disciple. You and him are very alike in certain things. What is Jiriaya doing these days, anyway?", Sasuke asked, glad that they'd found an easy topic to talk about for now. This way it would be less challenging to talk about the more serious matters.

Naruto averted his gaze, mumbling quietly: "He died…" and with those two small words Sasuke's entire mood changed. He'd never been that close with Jiraiya, but Naruto had and hearing that a man who meant so much to him, had died, made Sasuke sad for all the right reasons. He still cared so much about the man next to him that even thinking about the pain he'd gone through, when he'd lost his only father figure, woke the urge in him, to take him in his arms and make him forget all about it.

"I am sorry", Sasuke replied, fighting his urge to hug Naruto, for he knew it would only make things more difficult at the moment. "What happened?".  
"It was an accident during a fight with Nagato… "  
"Nagato? The guy he trained before you?"  
"Yeah, the very same. Nagato was preparing for a tournament, and Jiraiya told him that he was being too reckless. He asked him for a fight, so Jiraiya could show him a better way to approach his opponent, but when they fought, Nagato kicked him full force and hit his throat. He broke Jiraiya's voice box and he died on his way to the hospital", Naruto told, again hiding behind the too small cup.

Silence followed his words while Sasuke mused about what he'd just heard. Jiraiya had been an important man in Naruto's life. He'd made him his student, when no one else was really interested in Naruto, because Hatake Kakashi had decided to put more emphasis on preparing Sasuke for the final rounds than Naruto. Jiraiya however, had seen the great potential of the young boy and even if he'd seemed reluctant at first, it had always been obvious that he would agree to training Naruto.

From that day on student and teacher had formed a unique bond; far more intimate than what Sasuke had ever shared with Kakashi, who'd left a few years later to join an elite force named ANBU. Jiraiya had even decided to take Naruto with him on one of his trips and Sasuke had almost gone mad with jealousy, when his boyfriend had left him for three whole weeks to travel through China with a perverted old man, who peeked at girls and wrote books about it.

But those three weeks had been quite helpful for Naruto to grow up and become an independent person, and they'd had the best welcome-home–sex ever. With the old man gone, Naruto had lost the only father figure he'd ever really had. Sasuke and Itachi might have given their best to be a family to him, but neither of them had been a father to Naruto.

Sasuke put his cup back on the table and remained silent for now. He knew Naruto would need some time to think as well, now that he'd told him about Jiraiya.

Naruto shifted next to him, apparently waiting for Sasuke to speak again. And who could blame him? It had been Sasuke who'd come to talk in the first place. But he still looked at his drink without saying a word. The whole evening, Sasuke had waited for the opportunity to talk to Naruto, but now that he finally got his chance to do so, he felt nervous about it.  
He cleared his throat and looked up, just to find a pair of cerulean eyes watching him intently. "You didn't come here, to talk about Jiraiya, Sasuke. What is it, you want to tell me?", he said softly.

"I… want to apologize… It was wrong, to just leave you and even more so, to just come back and expect you to sign those papers. I came, to tell you that I changed my mind. I don't want us to divorce anymore", he said, watching the beautiful blue eyes as he spoke. Naruto fidgeted and gulped.  
"Then what do you want?", he asked, unsure what to make of that confession. Did Sasuke want them to get back together? Did Naruto still want that?  
"I want to fight for you this time", Sasuke answered, still not taking his eyes off his husband, whose features showed something between hope and fear.  
"Sasuke… I…", Naruto started, feeling the tightness in his chest, as he spoke. His heart screamed at him to just take Sasuke back, but he couldn't. Too much had happened between them and even the thought of being back in a real relationship with Sasuke made his guts freeze in fear of being abandoned again.

"I don't know if I want you to"

The words hung heavy in the room, looming over Sasuke's head as if to mock him. He had failed. He'd destroyed the bond between him and Naruto, with his foolish believe that he had to protect Naruto by leaving and cutting him off. He'd thought Naruto would be better off without Sasuke in his life and that had broken the fragile construct that had been their love for each other. But no matter how fragile, Sasuke wouldn't give up so easily. He had built it once – he could do it again.

"I don't care", he said, his voice harder than expected. He wouldn't let the love of his life slip through his hands without putting up a fight. "I made so many mistakes and I know I can never atone for them, but I realized how much I love you and even if you don't want me right now – I will fight for you. I will prove myself to you over and over again. You are mine".

Naruto looked at him with a sad smile on his lips, raising the hand that had once held his wedding band, running his fingertips along Sasuke's cheekbones. "You can't imagine how often I dreamed of you saying that", he whispered.

Sasuke leaned into the soft touch, craving Naruto's attention and warmth. It felt so right, so good to be this close to the man again. "It's the truth", he answered. "Let me prove myself to you".

With a sigh, Naruto let his hand sink and closed his eyes for second, before he finally nodded. "I cannot promise you anything, Sasuke. What you did to me… I don't know if I'll be able to forgive… and even if… you broke my trust and without trust… well love alone just isn't enough… But I want you back… I want to give you that one chance… show me that I can still trust you…and then… we can maybe get back together. But only maybe", he said in all honesty.

Sasuke nodded. It was more than he could have hoped for and yet not what he longed for, but it would have to suffice, at least for now. Naruto was willing to let him prove himself, and what more could Sasuke ask for, after all the things he'd done?  
"Thank you", he whispered.

Naruto sighed again and then got up from the couch. "I think, it's better if you leave now", he said. "I need time think about all this, okay? We can meet up again in a few days, and talk if you want to, but for now… I need some space"

"Talking sounds good to me", Sasuke replied, a bit disappointed about being asked to leave, but he knew he had to do this by Naruto's rules, if he wanted to make things right again. Determined, not to show his disappointment, he got up as well and straightened his clothes.

Hs husband accompanied him down the hall and opened the door for him, smiling politely. The atmosphere between them was strange. There was no hostility left, but the tension was still there and was awkward as well as familiar. They were not together, and yet not separated, but something in between and neither of them knew how to act around the other anymore. What was expected? What was too much? What too little?

With a polite nod, Sasuke moved past Naruto, but stopped on the threshold, to say goodbye. He turned and looked into those deep blue eyes. The eyes he loved so much. His whole life they'd watched him and he couldn't resist the urge to raise his hand and touch the sun kissed skin, his thump running along Naruto's jawline.

He could see the other man's breath hitch, and felt electricity run through the tips of his fingers from where he touched Naruto. They stood so close, it would only take him a heartbeat, to bend forward and seal those soft, slightly parted lips and Sasuke knew that Naruto was thinking the exact same thing. They wanted to be together – they belonged together.  
But Sasuke hesitated, unsure if it was the right thing to do or if it would just overwhelm Naruto.

Naruto's breath fanned over Sasuke's skin and his scent filled his senses, but he would not let his hormones get the better of him. And so, instead of sealing those sweet lips with his own, he leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on his husband's forehead, mumbling a soft: "Good night, dobe", against the warm skin, before he turned around and walked down the steps, leaving a shocked Naruto behind.

* * *

 **To be continued…**

 **That's it. They almost kissed, but not yet *g* Next chapter will feature another new character, whom some of you might remember from the Naruto anime. He never showed up in the manga though, because he was only part of the many, many filler arcs after Sasuke had left, so stay tuned!**


	15. The Familiar in the Stranger

**Hi everyone!**

 **I'm so glad I finished a few chapters in advance which will keep me able to post regularly according to my two weeks' schedule! Studying takes so much time these days! I'm glad once it's late September and I'm done with my exam T-T. Okay, enough whining on my part :P**

 **I already said that Sagi is about to make an appearance this chapter. His role won't be too important, but I need him to set something into action *g* If you don't remember him, look him up in google. He was only part of a filler arch back in the old Naruto anime, but re watching the series with a friend, I decided to include him into the story.**

 **So have fun with the chapter! See you all in two weeks!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, if I did, the ending would've been quite different *g* All characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.**

* * *

 **Chapter 15 The Familiar in the Stranger**

 _Buzz buzz…_

Groaning sleepily, Naruto opened his eyes the next morning to his phone vibrating on the bedside cabinet next to him. Usually, Naruto thought of himself as almost un-wake-able, once he fell asleep, but the only thing that always woke him, no matter the time, was the buzzing of his phone.

He took the offending item from the cabinet and pressed the green button, without ever looking at who had just interrupted his sleep.  
"Yes?", he said, his voice still rough.  
"Naruto? Did I wake you?", Sakura's voice answered slightly amused.  
"Yep, you did. I hope you have a really good reason to call me this early", Naruto replied.

He could hear her laugh on the other end of the line. "I'm sorry", she said, voice turning more serious as she spoke on. "Kiba told me about Sasuke… so I thought I might check on you". Her tone was soft and caring, reminding Naruto of that dance Saturday night. She'd tried her best to cheer him up, and he hadn't even told her about Sasuke yet.

"Oh… yeah… thanks. I'm sorry I didn't tell you myself", he said, forcing a short laughter.  
"Don't apologize!", Sakura answered with a sigh. "I guess the last days weren't exactly nice, so tell me, how are you?"  
Naruto took a deep breath. "I'm… confused… but… I don't wanna talk about it right now, at least not over the phone".  
"Of course, of course! How about that: Ino and Chouji asked Lee and me to go to a bar tomorrow night – you could join us. Come over to my house earlier and we talk about everything. I'm here for you, you know? We talk and then we find you a distraction. That asshole doesn't deserve your tears, anyway".

To be honest, Naruto really didn't feel like going to a bar, but he also wanted someone he could talk to about Sasuke, and he simply knew that neither Gaara nor Kiba were the right people to do so (not counting the fact that Kiba and Hinata had left Konoha yesterday for their well-deserved honeymoon).

"Yeah… sounds good", Naruto replied a little hesitant. He knew, Sakura only meant well, and he really needed to talk to her about the entire 'I want you back' – stuff, because he still didn't know what to make of it. How could Sasuke so easily change his mind about something so important? And if Naruto agreed to getting back together, would his husband just leave him again, if he had another change of heart?

"I know it's hard. But things won't get better if you hide in your house all the time", Sakura said, sensing her friend's reluctance to agree. "You can also bring Gaara, if you want to".

"No, it's fine really. Gaara agreed to meet up with his siblings this weekend. Some kinda family bonding thing it is, I think", Naruto explained, shaking his head despite that fact that Sakura couldn't see him do it through the phone.

"Oh, okay. Is Shika free then? Or does he accompany Temari to that bonding-date?", she asked, her voice rich with amusement. Everyone knew how much Shikamaru hated family gatherings, but his girlfriend tended to drag him along, no matter how much he complained.

"As far as I know, it's only Temari, Kankuro and Gaara. No outsiders allowed", Naruto answered, unable to keep the tiniest of smiles from his lips.  
"Good. I'll ask him, if he wants to join us at the bar, okay?", Sakura said, and this time Naruto could mentally see her nod to herself, without him being able to really do so.

"Sounds good. What time should I come over?"

"Ino said we should meet at nine, so why don't you show up at six? Gives us enough time to talk things through and have dinner together, before we head out for the night".  
"At six then", Naruto agreed, now looking out of the window, his eyes locked on the grey sky. It looked like rain today.  
"It's settled then. See you tomorrow! Oh… and… you know, you can call me, if something happens…", Sakura said, waiting for Naruto to agree, before she hung up.

With a sigh, Naruto put his phone back on the bedside cabinet and fell backwards into the soft pillows. Images from last night reappeared in his mind, as he closed his eyes and tried to relax. They had almost kissed, hadn't they? What did that mean? Did he want to be with Sasuke again? It felt so strange to even consider it.

He sat up slowly, before opening the drawer, to look at the small trinket inside – his wedding ring. It lay there innocently, tempting him, to put it back on. And Naruto had half a mind to do so, but he knew that would only send the wrong signals. He wasn't ready to forgive Sasuke just yet. Hell, he didn't even know if he wanted to try to forgive. It was all so fucked up. Why couldn't the bastard have just come back without all that divorce shit, so they would have been able to talk about everything and make a fresh start?

But Sasuke being Sasuke, had of course fucked things up and now Naruto was stuck with not knowing what he wanted and kept racking his brains out. With a sigh, he closed the drawer, hiding away the sight of his wedding ring, as to not fall for the temptation.

Maybe it really wasn't such a bad idea to go out celebrating with his friends. It would get is mind off of things, so he could focus on something that wasn't Sasuke. The same applied to Konohamaru's parent – teacher conference, which provided an opportunity to occupy his mind with totally different things. Hopefully today and tomorrow would be better days then the past ones.

* * *

It was still early, when Sasuke woke from his restless slumber. He could already feel the headache forming behind his eyes, although he'd just barely opened them. Last night he'd tried to figure out how far he could go and if there was still a chance for him to win Naruto back. The outcome had been… good and bad.

Sasuke could definitely still feel the tell-tale spark between them, but Naruto was reluctant to act on it. And who could blame him? After everything that had happened during the past week, it was more than replicable that Naruto remained suspicious about Sasuke's sudden change of mind. That could of course be changed by telling him the truth about Fugaku's blackmailing, but Sasuke honestly feared that his husband would lose that already short temper of his, and go running to Tokyo to confront the Uchiha patriarch, before Sasuke had had the chance to speak to his father himself.

No, Sasuke wouldn't risk that. Not even with Itachi as his backup. He had to win Naruto's heart and his trust again and afterwards he would go and talk to his father, to tell him that there wouldn't be a wedding.

Determined to show Naruto that he really meant what he'd said the previous night, he reached for his mobile phone, only to find that he had already received a message while he'd been asleep. Alas, it wasn't from Naruto, but from the last person on the planet he wanted a message from: Karin.

Rubbing his eyes in annoyance, Sasuke opened the text and started to read.

 _Good morning dear, I know I should be patient about this, but I talked to your father yesterday and we both think that you should come home soon for the engagement celebrations. I'm going shopping with a friend today – need a new dress for the occasion. I'll send you pics, so you can help to choose if you want!_

There was a kiss-emoticon at the end of the last sentence and Sasuke cringed at the very thought. Things started to get out of control. If Karin was already buying a fucking dress for an engagement party they would never have, he'd have to act quickly now. No matter how much his disliked the thought of marrying anyone who wasn't Naruto, he really didn't want to hurt Karin more than necessary. She was a nice girl after all.

With a sigh, he chose Itachi's number from amongst his contacts and pressed the call button. This was what big brothers were for, wasn't it? Itachi had promised to help him out in this and now was the time have him act on it.

"Good morning, Otouto", his smooth voice greeted Sasuke only seconds later. Sometimes he wondered, if his big brother did nothing but wait the whole day for anyone to call him.  
"Morning, nii-san", Sasuke said, suddenly unsure of how to address the issue.  
Itachi chuckled, when his realized that Sasuke wasn't going to say anything besides 'good morning'. "Did you just want to hear my voice, or is there a reason why you're calling?", he asked, obviously amused.  
"Shut up! Of course I had a reason! Karin texted me this morning", Sasuke said, still annoyed by the whole mess.  
"I see. What did her text say?", Itachi inquired, sounding more serious now.  
"She's going to buy a dress today, for the engagement celebrations. There won't be an engagement", with a deep sigh, Sasuke fell back on his bad, covering his eyes with his free hand, while holding the phone with the other. "I don't know what to do, so father doesn't find out about Naruto before… well… before I can prove myself to him".

"I take it, you have made up your mind then and want to be with Naruto again?"  
"More than anything", Sasuke admitted, remembering how close they'd been for a brief moment yesterday evening. He'd given everything to just kiss Naruto and he wasn't sure if he'd be able to stop himself a second time.  
"Good. I knew you couldn't keep this charade up. It was ridiculous, really", Itachi stated, not exactly helpful, but honest as always.  
"Thank you for your kind words", Sasuke retorted, voice dripping with sarcasm. His brother's mockery was the last thing he needed right now.

Itachi chuckled again. "Sorry, Otouto. It just needed to be said. I'm glad you're going to fight for Naruto, though. And I promised I'd help you, so I'll take care of father and Karin for now. I don't know for how long I'll keep them occupied with other things, but I will try my best", he said and Sasuke could hear the smile in his brother's voice.  
"Thanks you nii-san"  
"You're welcome, little brother".

* * *

Naruto had barely made it out of the shower, when his phone rang again. This time it was Konohamaru calling him, because his grandfather seemed to be in no condition to look after the boy that evening and with Naruto at the parent-teacher conference, Konohamaru had nowhere to go. Without really thinking about, Naruto promised that Konohamaru could stay at his house and that Naruto would find someone to look after him.

Only afterwards had he realized that now he really had to find someone, who would look after the boy in the evening. The parent-teacher conference would only start at eight pm and Naruto didn't want Hiruzen to have unfamiliar people in the house. It would be better to let Konohamaru stay at Naruto's for the night with someone watching him, while Naruto himself was gone.

The only thing he hadn't reckoned in, was all his friends being busy that evening. Sakura had to work a nightshift in the hospital, Lee was no one to be left alone in a house with a child (at least not if you valued your furniture), Gaara was already planning the get-together with his siblings and Ino and Chouji already had tickets for the cinema.

After what felt like an hour of calling all of his friends (minus Kiba and Hinata of course), there was only one person left, he could think of and wasn't too sure if he really wanted to ask _him_ for help: Sasuke.

Needless to say, his husband had gotten along with Konohamaru quite well, but one dinner was nothing compared to an entire evening. However, Naruto also couldn't leave an eight-year-old alone for hours while his grandfather was sick in bed.

Shaking his head, he pressed the call button and hoped that at least Sasuke would be able to help him. If not, his last resort would be Itachi, and although Naruto was sure his brother in law would help him, if he could, it still felt little strange to even think about asking him of all people.

"Naruto?", Sasuke's voice answered after a few seconds.  
"Hey, yeah it's me"  
"Is everything okay? Did something happen?"  
"Yes! I mean No!", Naruto said, cringing at how awkward he sounded. He hated being awkward; it always reminded him of those god-awful Twilight movies, where everyone constantly seemed to be awkward. Really? No seventeen-year-old acts like that!

He drew a deep breath to calm his nerves and started again. "Nothing happened. Not really. It's just… I promised to go to Konohamaru's parent-teacher conference tonight, because his granddad is still too sick. And now there's no one to look after Konohamaru… so…"  
"So you're asking me to look after the boy tonight, while you're gone?", Sasuke provided helpfully.  
"Yeah… that's basically it".  
"No problem. I'll do. When do you need me?"

Naruto blinked in surprise for a heartbeat or two. That had gone by far easier than expected and he tried to ignore the warm, fluttery feeling that spread inside his stomach. This was the Sasuke he knew. The one he could always count on, when everyone else let him down.

"Could you be here at seven?", he asked, still a bit surprised about Sasuke's willingness to look after an eight-year-old boy for an entire evening. Sasuke wasn't exactly a kid-person.  
"I will be. Anything I should be aware of?", he asked, as if it was the most natural thing to do for him.  
"No, nothing. Just see that he's not alone in the house. Thank you so much!", Naruto replied, closing his eyes.  
"As I said: no problem".

* * *

Naruto looked down on the sheet of paper he was holding in his hand. He had so far met all of Konohamaru's teacher except for one. Even Ebisu-sensei, who had been one of Naruto's teachers as well, when he'd gone to Elementary School, had talked to him earlier, still not too happy about meeting his old student again. The two of them had never really gotten along. But, as it seemed, Ebisu-sensei was really fond of Konohamaru and in that, the two men had found common ground and a basis to talk. The conversation had been quite pleasant and now Naruto was headed to the last teacher, he would meet tonight. A man, going by the name of Tori Sagi-san.

As far as Naruto remembered, the man hadn't worked at the school, when he'd been young, but almost twenty years had passed since his own enrolment – it shouldn't surprise him that he didn't know the man.

With all of Konohamaru's teachers speaking highly of the boy, Naruto honestly didn't expect anything else from the guy he was about to meet now. He stopped in front of the door to the classroom the man should be waiting in, raised his head, to compare the room number on the sheet with the one on the wall, before he slid open the door and entered.

However, he hadn't even taken two steps inside, when he stopped dead and blinked once, twice, tree times, as soon as his gaze fell onto the man sitting behind the desk. It felt like seeing a ghost or something equally disturbing. The man, Tori-sensei, bore an uncanny resemblance to none other than Naruto's own husband, Uchiha Sasuke. The same dark, almost black eyes and fair skin. Hell, even his hair had the same colour and length, only that it wasn't spiked up at the back of the man's head.

Tori-sensei rose from his chair and walked up to Naruto, bowing in front of him, with a smile on his face. "Good evening…", he paused, looked at a sheet on the desk and added: "Uzumaki-san". Naruto was still frozen in place, unable to speak, as he watched this warm, smiling version of Sasuke.

"Are you alright?", Tori-san asked, his brows furrowing as he looked Naruto up and down.  
"Oh, yes. Sorry. It's nice to meet you, Tori-san", Naruto said, feeling the blush creep up his cheeks, as he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck.  
The dark haired man smiled gently again and motioned for Naruto to take a seat in front of the desk. "Please, have a seat, Uzumaki-san", he said, and now that Naruto for the first time paid attention to his voice, he had to admit that it was softer and warmer than Sasuke's, but not at all unpleasant, the opposite really.

Both men took their seats and Tori-san browsed through some of the sheets in front of him, before he looked at Naruto again and smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, Uzumaki-san, I don't seem to know whose father you are", he said, a faint blush on his cheeks that reminded Naruto a little too much of how had Sasuke looked like when they'd had sex.

Naruto cleared his throat, feeling a little uncomfortable due to his thoughts, but tried to hide his embarrassment from Tori-san.  
"Ah, yes, I don't have children. I'm here for Sarutobi Konohamaru though", he explained grinning his trademark grin to cover up how awkward he felt.  
"I see. Well, why didn't Konohamaru-chan's parents come here today, but send you their stead?", Tori-san asked, a little taken aback by the fact that the boy's parents hadn't come in person.

It wasn't like Naruto couldn't understand the man's confusion about the situation, but it also made him angry. Of course Tori-san didn't know what had happened to Konohamaru's parents, but it felt too uncomfortably familiar to Naruto's own childhood, when people had been pressing him for the reason why his mother and father never showed up anywhere. He wouldn't let Konohamaru suffer the same fate as him.

"They died three years ago. And before you ask, yes Konohamaru does live with his relatives. His grandfather to be exact, but the old man is currently ill and couldn't make it. That's why I'm here", Naruto explained, crossing his arms in front of his chest, while his blue eyes roamed Tori's face, curious about how the man would react to such news. Naruto had explained the situation often enough tonight and his temper was running short.

Confronted with the explanation for Konohamaru's absentee parents, Tori-san blinked in astonishment, before his features turned softer and a fond smile tugged at his lips. He looked incredibly handsome like this.  
"Thank you, Uzumaki-san. For being honest about the situation. I didn't know that Konohamaru's parents had died. It's very nice of you, to take care of the boy. Where do you know him from?", there was no accusation in Tori's words, just polite curiosity and a strange kind of fondness that made Naruto's anger melt away like ice on a warm summer's day.  
"I'm his neighbour and martial arts trainer", Naruto explained with an honest smile.  
"I'm glad Konohamaru has someone like you, who takes care of him", Tori-san said, flicking through his papers again.

He took out Konohamaru's file and smiled again. "Konohamaru is a nice kid. I'm his Maths teacher, as you probably already know, and I'm quite happy with his progress in the subject. He's a hardworking student, as far as I know him. Does anyone help him with his homework?".  
Naurto shook his head. "No, not really. At least not whenever his does them at my house. Sometimes his asks for help if he really doesn't understand a problem, but he mostly solves them on his own. Why do you ask, Tori-san?".

The man smiled again. "Please, call me Sagi if you want, Uzumaki-san. I just asked, because he usually finds good solutions and I just wondered if he came up with them on his own or if he had help at home", he explained, his dark eyes warm and inviting, as he talked about Konohamaru and never once took his gaze off Naruto's face.

There was a strange and yet nice tension in the room, and Naruto took a more comfortable position on his chair, putting his still wedding ring – less hands on the table, running the tips of his fingers over the polished wood. "I can assure you, he comes up with the solutions on his own. Oh… and it's Naruto… Uzumaki-san sounds old", he said with another large grin. It felt nice to talk this man, who didn't know anything about Naruto, but that he sometimes took care of Konohamaru, and yet seemed to like him.

Sagi laughed at Naruto's words and the sound was quite nice to the ear. Different from what Sasuke's laugh sounded – again warmer and somehow kinder. But was it really fair to compare the two men? Sasuke had been Naruto's boon and bane – the man he'd loved his entire life and now he felt a bit like he was transferring all the feelings he'd had for Sasuke to Sagi, only because the man looked similar to him. It shouldn't be like this.

"Naruto? Like the fish cake?", Sagi asked, an amused sparkle in his eyes.  
"Yeah, exactly like the fish cake. But I like ramen, so I don't mind", Naruto answered. It was hard, not to constantly see Sasuke in front of him.  
"That's a good thing then. Naruto, the time for our conversation is almost over, but, I would very much like to talk to you again. I think you're doing a great job in taking care of Konohamaru and I would like to meet you sometime. Would you mind giving me your number?"

Naruto hesitated. He liked Sagi, but he didn't know if that was due to his resemblance to Sasuke or because of the man himself. It was hard to distinguish between the two men right now, when all Naruto had done in the past days was muse about his husband. He really wished he'd met Sagi under different circumstances. But then again, the teacher was really nice and his personality was nothing like Sasuke's and maybe Naruto should just give it a shot and have a coffee with the man.

"Sounds like a good idea to me", Naruto said and took a pen from the desk. Without asking for permission, he wrote his phone number on one of the sheets in front of Sagi, not caring if those were per chance important papers.

Sagi nodded thankfully, before he got up from his chair and accompanied Naruto to the door.  
"It was a pleasure meeting you, Naruto. I will absolutely make use of that phone number", he said with a small smirk on his lips. This guy was obviously interested and Naruto didn't yet know if that was a good thing or not. Nonetheless, he really wanted to find out more about a man who looked like a long lost Uchiha child.

"I'm looking forward to it", Naruto replied, feeling a little overwhelmed by the whole situation. He slid the door shut behind his back and sighed deeply, before glancing at his watch. It had gotten late and it would take him another half an hour to get home. Home… to were Sasuke was probably waiting for him with Konohamaru.

Naruto glanced back at the closed door, behind which Sagi would soon meet the next couple of parents. Did giving out your number already count as cheating? Was there even anyone to cheat on anymore? Strictly speaking, he was still married to Sasuke, and at the moment it also seemed like his husband wanted to get back together. Running a hand through his messy hair, Naruto walked down the hall towards his car He was in no mood to talk to teachers anymore and only wanted to get home.

Maybe he'd be able to talk to Sakura about Sagi and take an advice from her, because right now he absolutely didn't know what to do. It wasn't like he didn't love Sasuke anymore, but the problem was trust. And then there was Gaara. If Naruto really was to enter a new relationship, shouldn't that be with Gaara? But than again, can you really be with someone just because it would be fair? This whole situation was totally messed up!

Angry with himself and his inability to just let go of Sasuke, Naruto got into his car and drove back home. Every other sane person would give the bastard the boot, but Naruto of course couldn't. He was too… yeah… what exactly? Attached? Obsessed? The last one probably.

Finally home, he unlocked the front door, only to be greeted by the faint light and distant sounds of the television, illuminating the hallway through the open living room door. He furrowed his brows and took off his jacket and shoes. It was already half past ten and Naruto really hoped that Sasuke had been so clever, to take Konohamaru to bed already (what did the house have a guestroom for?) and kept watching TV on his own.

Soundlessly, as not to wake anyone, he stalked down the hall and peeked into the living room. In there, the light was brighter and the sounds clearly audible. On the screen, Yona and Hak were alone in dark meadow and Naruto briefly wondered, why Sasuke would watch shojo-anime, before he tore his gaze away from the two lovebirds and fully entered room.

There, on the sofa in front of the TV were both, Sasuke and Konohamaru, soundly asleep, each of them with their head on one of the armrests, legs bend to leave enough space of the other to fit comfortably on the seating furniture.

Naruto smiled fondly and walked closer to the two. Aside from Gaara, they were probably his two favourite people in the world and they looked absolutely cute together. Sasuke's face lacked his usual stoic expression; features softer and more relaxed. For a brief moment, Naruto thought about waking them, but then he decided not to, and just took two blankets from a nearby cabinet, to cover Sasuke and Konohamaru, so they wouldn't feel cold.

The boy stirred in his sleep when Naruto pulled the blanket over his body, but otherwise didn't wake. The sofa wasn't exactly the best place for a child to sleep, but Naruto didn't have the heart to rouse him. Instead he just got up and reached for the second blanket. He was sure Sasuke would wake up sometime during the night and maybe move to the guestroom, until then, Naruto would make sure his husband would at least not start to freeze. No matter what had happened between them, he still cared.

Slowly, he knelt down beside the couch and pulled the blanket over Sasuke's sleeping form. He looked so at peace that it almost hurt to look at him. His chest was rising and falling in a steady, calm rhythm and for a short-lived moment, Naruto could've sworn he'd seen the tiniest of smiles tug at his husband's pearly lips.

Naruto sighed in content and stayed in place, watching Sasuke sleep. He didn't know how long it had been, since they'd last been this close; their faces only inches apart. He could feel the other man's warm breath fan over his lips, making them tingle slightly. Sasuke still smell nice, and fresh, and clean. Naruto had always loved Sasuke's scent and even know, in this fucked up situation, the felt more relaxed with Sasuke around.

He swallowed hard, his chest still filled with warmth from sight of his husband and his (not by blood, but anyway) little brother, laying peacefully together on the couch. Naruto was too close, he knew it, and really should get up and bring some distance between his and Sasuke's face. He supported himself with one hand on the edge of the upholstery next to Sasuke, to stand up, but suddenly felt warm fingers close around his wrist.

Surprised and a little startled, Naruto looked down, only to stare into sharp onyx eyes and wonder for a mere heartbeat, if Sasuke had been awake the entire time, before he was pulled back down and felt warm, soft lips against his own.

The feeling was overwhelming and the butterflies in his stomach went crazy. His lips felt on fire and it was incredible. Unable to form a coherent thought, his hands fisted dark, silky hair as he leaned in and kissed right back. It felt as if he'd just fallen into one of his dreams, in which Sasuke suddenly came home, surprising him with confessions of love and tender kisses. Only that the real thing was a million times better than any fucking dream.

Naruto could feel Sasuke's velvety tongue run along his bottom lip; obediently, he opened his mouth to grant the moist muscle entrance.

God, he'd missed this.

Unable to think, he ran his tongue along Sasuke's, sucking lightly. They were still separated by the couch and neither of them made an attempt to close what little distance was left between them; each of them too absorbed into the feeling of the kiss.

Outlining Naruto cheekbone with his thump, touching warm skin, Sasuke sighed into the kiss, while his tongue ran along white teeth and sensitive gums, Naruto's taste filling him completely. It was addictive. Ever since their first kiss, he'd been a goner. Naruto was everything he'd ever wanted, and kissing him like that brought the entire feelings and sensations back he'd tried to desperately to shuffle off when he had left Konoha.

He didn't know how long they'd been sitting like this, just kissing each other as of nothing the world existed but them, when Konohamaru moved in his sleep and caught Naruto's attention. From one second to the next, warm lips and mouth were gone, leaving both men panting heavily.

Blue eyes watched Sasuke with a mixture of confusion and regret, sending spikes of worry through his system. Had he gone too far? With Naruto that close, he had just not been able to resist the urge to kiss him and judging by Naruto's reaction, the man hadn't really been opposed to the thought either, but seeing his eyes now made Sasuke wonder whether he'd just made a big mistake.

Naruto swallowed hard. He shouldn't have done that. It wasn't like he hadn't enjoyed the kiss, on the contrary, he'd liked it very much, but now, with the warm lips gone, and his brain back to doing its job, he really thought that it had been wrong to kiss Sasuke. Neither of them was ready for this; at least not yet.

As Naruto finally stood up, Sasuke got himself into a sitting position, rather than just propped up on his elbow like before. They looked at each other in silence, not knowing what to say, now that the extend of they'd done sank in.

Of course it was just a stupid kiss. People kissed for the most trivial of reasons, but when you had a relationship as complicated as Naruto and Sasuke, a kiss could mean the world.

"I'm sorry", Sasuke said after a while, his voice low, but his eyes steady. He wasn't, but he also knew that an apology was in order.

Naruto just shook his head with a small, somehow sad smile on his lips. When had things gotten this fucked up? Back in the day, kissing had been the most natural thing for them to do and now Sasuke was apologizing for it. Swallowing the tears that threatened to spill, he finally spoke with a rough voice: "Don't be. It was too early for this, yes. But I kissed you back. I wanted it, too. That doesn't make things easier, but… don't be sorry about kissing me… not ever".

Sasuke smiled a little and nodded. "If that's what you want… Should I… leave?", he asked somewhat hesitant. He really wanted to stay the night, but he understood that maybe Naruto wanted to be alone now.

"No, you can stay. It's already late. I'll just take a quick shower and then go to bed myself", Naruto answered and turned to leave the room, when a different movement made him look back. Konohamaru had woken up; probably from the conversation going on. Dark brown, sleepy eyes wandered from Sasuke to Naruto and the boy blinked in slight confusion.

"What's going on?", he wanted to know, yawing.  
"Nothing", Naruto said, before Sasuke even got the chance to answer, and then added: "I just came home and it's really late. Come on, I'll take you to bed in the guestroom. Sasuke's fine with the couch".

Konohamaru looked at the man on the other end of the couch and smiled happily. "Thank you, Sasu-nii. Good night", he said, as he got up and followed Naruto into the guest room

Sasuke watched boy and man leave, before he fell back onto the sofa, arms behind his head, staring at the ceiling. He'd fucked up again. No matter what Naruto said, the kiss had been a mistake. Not the kiss itself maybe, but the timing. Sasuke groaned in frustration. So far, people had always tried to get into his pants, whether he wanted them to or not, and he'd never had to fight to get whom he wanted (even if it had only ever been Naruto), but now Sasuke realized how hard it could be, to convince someone that you are the right person for them to be with.

Naruto didn't pass through the living room again on his way back to his bedroom and the only thing Sasuke heard some minutes later, was the shower running. They wouldn't talk anymore tonight and maybe that was for the best.

Getting into a comfortable positon, Sasuke turned around and close his eyes. Sleep didn't come to him for a very long time that night.

* * *

 **To be continued…**

 **Soooo, they kissed and Sagi likes Naruto *g* what do you think? Should Naruto meet Sagi for coffee or stay away from him? Do you like the guy, or not? I personally don't know if I like him XD**

 **Thank you for reading! Stay tuned!**


	16. The Trust in the Jealousy

**So guys, here it is – the new chapter! I still have one written in advance because I have almost no time to write anymore… Did anyone of you ever study Middle English? It's hell I tell you! So far I guess there won't be any delays when it comes to regularly posting the new chapters, but I won't promise that it is not gonna happen at all, because really, I have no idea how busy the next weeks are gonna get in the end.**

 **So this chapter features the conversation with Sakura as well as another encounter with Sagi. Oh, yeah and then there's Itachi again *gg* I love him soooo much!**

 **Have fun guys!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, if I did, the ending would've been quite different *g* All characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.**

* * *

 **Chapter 16 The Trust in the Jealousy**

Sasuke woke at first light; his eyelids heavy and limbs stiff from a night on the couch. He was getting too old for stuff like this. The house was eerily silent, probably because Naruto and Konohamaru were both still asleep. Wondering what time it was, Sasuke glanced at his wrist watch. 7:53 am.

He yawned and set up, looking down at himself - wrinkled shirt and all. Fuck, he'd slept in his day wear and he was desperate for a shower and a toothbrush, but unsure whether he would overstep the boundaries if he boldly used Naruto's.

Stretching his arms over his head, he finally got up from the couch and looked around. Without Naruto or Konohamaru demanding his attention, he finally had the time to take in his surroundings properly.

Not much had changed in the house he'd once bought and furnished. Only his most personal belongings were gone, but the rest was still in place – silent witnesses of how much Naruto had hoped that his husband would one day come back to him. It was painful to watch.

Sweet, loyal Naruto.

Sasuke ran a hand through his still uncombed hair and cringed. He usually wasn't conceited, but his hair had always been his weak spot. He hated the way it looked if it wasn't carefully styled into his trademark 'duckbutt' as Naruto called it. He really, really needed that shower. Maybe it would be better; to go back to his hotel, wash up and then call Naruto and ask him if he wanted to talk about what had happened yesterday evening.

This way, both of them would have some alone time to think things through, instead of being confronted with each other right after waking up, trapped in an awkward situation. However, Sasuke didn't want to leave without explaining his intentions first.

Back when he'd lived in the house himself, he and Naruto had had a drawer in the living room, in which they kept sticky notes and pens to write little messages to each other, about where they were and what they were doing. Sasuke hoped that Naruto really hadn't changed much and still kept the small pieces of paper in that drawer, so that Sasuke could write him one of those said messages, hopefully reminding Naruto of how they'd done that regularly in the past.

He opened the drawer and to his delight, found exactly what he'd been looking for. Trust Naruto to really not change a thing in this house. Sasuke's heart filled with a strange kind of warmth at the thought, but he pushed it away for now. Naruto wasn't his yet, and he had no right to feel loved.

Note and pen in hand, Sasuke sat on the couch and leaned forward, to write his message. He was sure Naruto would go check on him as soon as he woke up and if he did so, he would find the note and know that Sasuke had just gone to the hotel to take a shower and would call him later. Things should be fine this way.

But no matter how pleased he was with his idea, he couldn't just leave without one last glance at Naruto. His husband was still sleeping at an early hour like this and Sasuke could risk to silently tiptoe through the house.

The bedrooms were on the upper floor and the only thing that might give him away was the sometimes creaking wooden staircase. Fortunately, Naruto had always been a deep sleeper and hard to wake up.

The door to their once shared bedroom was closed and Sasuke slowly, as not to make a sound, pushed the handle down and glanced into the room. The blinds were closed and only fade light fell into the room, barely illuminating the sleeping figure between the sheets. Messy blonde hair stuck out from amidst a bundle of white blankets and a duvet. Naruto still slept on the side facing the wall.

A tight knot formed in Sasuke's chest. Naruto had always slept on that side, because he had known how much Sasuke appreciated to lie close to the windows – fresh-air-fanatic and all. The sight made him even surer about his decision.

He wanted Naruto back, no matter what and he would forsake everything else for him if need be.

* * *

Light filtered through the closed blinds in front of the window the next morning, waking Naruto from his slumber. He hadn't exactly slept too well last night, knowing that Sasuke was only a few meters away from him.

It had been years since they'd last slept this close to each other and his chest constricted painfully at the thought of how much had been lost over the course of those years. They had been so close once and now everything felt strange and awkward, as if a wall had been build up between them and even though Sasuke now tried to tear it down, the damage was already done.

Naruto rolled on his back and covered his eyes with his right arm. Fucking shit, he had kissed Sasuke yesterday. God, that stupid bastard had just taken him by surprise and once those silky lips had been pressed against his, Naruto's resolves had crumbled like a sandcastle hit by a wave.

Why did shit like this always happen to him? Why couldn't he be in a relationship like Sakura and Lee? Or Kiba and Hinata? He groaned in frustration.

Maybe he should just get up and talk to Sasuke about it. It was still rather early and Konohamaru was probably still asleep, providing the adults in the house with the opportunity to talk things through. Naruto had to make it clear to Sasuke that one kiss didn't mean they were suddenly back together.

Naruto swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stretched his arms, before getting up. He was already halfway to the door when he realized that he wasn't wearing anything besides boxers and a conversation with Sasuke while one of them was half naked didn't sound like a good idea. At least not, if he didn't want to end up fucking his husband and adding that to their pile of 'things they need to talk about'.

A shirt and some pants were in order.

A few minutes later a very much dressed Naruto peeked into Konohamaru's bedroom to make sure that the boy really was asleep and wouldn't come down as soon as he heard voices downstairs. To his delight, Konohamaru was still dead to the world so that Naruto could shut the door again and silently go downstairs.

The entire house was still silent, the only sound coming from their neighbour, who was already mowing the lawn. It was May alright, but the temperatures hadn't risen so high yet that you needed to domestic work this early to be done with it once it got too hot.

Naruto found the living room door closed and, remembering his manners, knocked, instead of just barging in. However, Sasuke didn't answer and after a second knock that still remained unanswered, Naruto was almost sure that he'd find the living room deserted. He pushed the handle down and entered the room.

Sasuke was gone just as he'd thought and with the realization a strange kind of dread settled in his stomach. It was bound to happen, wasn't it? Nothing had changed. Naruto slowly walked up to the couch and saw a small sticky note on the coffee table. With a sigh, he picked it up and read the message.

 _Gone home to shower and dress.  
Call you later. _

_-S._

The piece of paper crumpled up as Naruto closed his fist around it.

A note. Of course Sasuke had left him a note, telling him he was gone. How nice of him to promise he would call later. That was at least more than Naruto had gotten last time Sasuke had left him a fucking note. How long would it take this time? Only three years?

Naruto laughed darkly. How stupid had he been? Had he really believed Sasuke would want him back? He'd been gone for five freakin' years. Well, he'd stolen one last kiss and now he would run off and marry whom the fuck his father told him to.

Stifling the urge to break something, Naruto switched on the TV (just for the sake of some kind of sound in the house) and went into the kitchen to make coffee. He needed it today.

* * *

Sasuke had barely made it out of the shower, when Itachi had shown up on his doorstep, looking not too pleased.

"Nii-san, what is it?", Sasuke asked, still drying his hair with a towel. What was it with people always interrupting his showers?  
"You didn't sleep here last night", Itachi stated, as if no further explanation was needed. He stayed in the same hotel as his little brother and of course kept close attention to his comings and goings.

Sasuke looked up from under the towel and glared at his brother. "Why do you care were I sleep?", he said far from pleased. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate Itachi's help and backup in this, but he really didn't want his brother to monitor Sasuke's every movement. And he didn't have time for a long conversation, because he'd promised to call Naruto and didn't want to wait too long to do it.

"Because I don't think it's a good idea to sleep around when you actually want your husband back", Itachi said, his hands folded on his knees as he sat on the chair in front of the small desk the hotel room provided.

Sasuke tossed the towel at his brother. "I'm not sleeping around. Just for your information: I spent the night at Naruto's house. On the couch!", he replied, hands on his hips and a frown between his eyes. What did Itachi think of him? Sasuke had not once slept with anyone who wasn't Naruto and he had no intention to do so.

Itachi raised one thin eyebrow at him, not voicing the question that hung in the room. Why the fuck did Sasuke spent the night at Naruto's house?

"We're married; you know? For what it's worth, we could be fucking like rabbits and it would be none of your business".

"You are quite right. What you and Naruto do, doesn't need to concern me, but you're my brother and I care for you. I don't want you to do something rush or stupid".

"I didn't sleep with him, if that's what you're thinking. He asked me to look after Konohamaru and when he got back it was late, so he offered me to sleep on the couch. I accepted", Sasuke explained, still mad at his brother's accusation that Sasuke would risk what little he had rebuilt with Naruto by taking someone else to bed.

"That's all?", Itachi asked, leaning back in the chair, his eyebrows still raised.

"Well… there was a kiss. But just one and then we decided that it was still too… soon… for that. I slept on the couch, Konohamaru in the guestroom and Naruto in the bedroom. I wanted to proof that he can count on me, if he needs me and that I did. I helped out when no one else could watch Konohamaru for a night", Sasuke further explained, annoyed by his brother's nosiness, but sure that he wouldn't stop bothering him, until Sasuke had told him the whole story.

A few moments passed in silence between them, Itachi obviously thinking about what his brother had just told him, before he nodded appreciatively. "I see. I'm sorry, I accused you of being unfaithful".  
"Don't bother. It's okay", Sasuke replied, taking his phone from the bed to check if per chance Naruto had already written a text, but no nothing yet.

"Why are you here, when you obviously want to be with him?", Itachi asked, amused this time instead of accusing. He shook as head slightly as he watched his brother fiddle with the phone and frown when there was no word from Naruto.

Sasuke looked up from the screen and glared at his brother again. It was annoying how well Itachi knew him and it made Sasuke feel like a little boy again. He'd spent too much of his childhood with his genius brother, who seemed to sometimes understand Sasuke better than he did himself.

"I went home to take a shower and change into fresh clothes. I didn't want to be so bold to use his house as if it were mine", Sasuke explained truthfully and tossed the phone back on his bed. Damn Naruto and his sleeping habits. He probably still lay in bed, soundly asleep while Sasuke had to deal with his nosey brother, anxious to receive a text from his husband.

"Ah, how considerate of you. By the way, I talked to father yesterday evening", Itachi said, without explaining what exactly he had told Fugaku.

Sasuke furrowed his brows. He hated it, when Itachi did thing like this – starting a topic that obviously was of interested for his dialogue partner, without going into the details, just for the fun of forcing the person he was talking to, to tear the answers from him. It was annoying really.

"And what did our beloved father say?", Sasuke asked, rolling his eyes at his brother.  
"He won't be fooled forever, Sasuke", Itachi said, suddenly serious again. He even ran a hand through his dark hair, closing his eyes while he did it. It was rare gesture of stress, Itachi usually only showed when something really worried him.

"I know that. But I can't go back to Tokyo now. Naruto would not forgive me, if I left again", Sasuke replied with a sigh. Obviously, the day would come, when he had to face his father about this, but it was always easier to fight one war at a time and right now, he needed to focus all his strength on getting his husband back.

"Probably not, no. That's why I told father that we are currently engaged in difficult negotiations with a potential business partner. He doesn't expect us back in Tokyo for a while, but this excuse won't satisfy him for too long. The day will come, when you'll have to tell him the truth", Itachi explained, his voice a little softer than usual; a gentle smile gracing his lips as he watched his little brother sigh heavily.

Half their lives, it had only been Sasuke and Itachi, all alone in the world. The only person, who been at least partly family had been Naruto. With their parents all the way in Tokyo, more concerned about the UNB than their offspring, neither of the boys had formed a very close bond with their father and mother. Mikoto of course loved her children more than anything, and Itachi knew how much their mother had missed the two of them, during those years, but in the end, she had been he obedient wife his father had wanted.

Without their parents to watch over them, Itachi had made it his business, to make sure his brother would find happiness in his life. That happiness had shown up on their doorstep in form of a boy as bright as the sun itself and Itachi had been more than glad about the friendship between the two, as well as the love that had later bloomed that friendship. If Sasuke asked him to, he would defend that love with all his might. Because he loved his brother more than anything. He would kill for him, if need be.

* * *

Still feeling slightly disillusioned by Sasuke's disappearance this morning, Naruto got into his car at precisely 5:27pm to drive to the other side of town, were Sakura and Lee lived. His mood had been somewhat foul all day, but Naruto being Naruto had done his best to appear all happy in front of Konohamaru, who had of course been surprised by the missing Sasuke.

Naruto had told the boy a story about Sasuke having to work early today although it was Saturday. But apparently Konohamaru had been satisfied by the explanation because there'd been no further questions about where Sasuke was.

With the boy gone home after a late breakfast, Naruto had finally had the time to go running through the forest again, clearing his head from last night's events. Upon his arrival back home, he'd seen that Sasuke had tried to call him several times, but he didn't feel like calling him back or texting. But Sagi had also tried to call and, for a short moment, Naruto really had considered at least texting _him_ , but something had kept him from doing so.

After all the shit with Sasuke, he just didn't feel ready to get into contact with someone who could potentially be interested in him (or the other way around).

With a sigh, he pulled into the parking lot in front of Sakura's house and got out of his car. It had taken Sakura a long time, to acknowledge Naruto during their childhood days, but now they were as close as friends could get, even if the pink haired girl had once had a crush on Naruto's husband.

Sometimes he wondered, if she was now glad that she hadn't ended up with him in the first place. It had spared her the pain of being left by him.

"Hey there", she softly said, when she opened the door and let Naruto in, her green eyes scanning him, as if she could spot any emotional harm, by just looking at his body.  
"Hey. Thanks for inviting me", Naruto greeted, taking off his shoes, before he followed her into the living room.

The entire house was decorated in warm, inviting colours – a cosy place to come home to and once again Naruto envied Sakura for the life she had with Lee. The two of them were really happy together and very much in love. That was at least what the many pictures on the living room wall told. It wouldn't be long until they too decided to marry, Naruto was sure of it.

"Hot chocolate, right?", Sakura asked when Naruto took a seat on the couch.  
"Right", he replied with a warm smile, before his best friend disappeared into the kitchen.

They had basically grown up together and although they hadn't been friends all the time, she still knew what he liked best. Maybe it really was a good idea to talk to her about Sasuke and hear her opinion on the matter.

A few minutes later she returned from the kitchen, a streaming mug in each hand and gave one of them to Naruto. The scent of warm chocolate filled the room, calming Naruto a little. He was a sucker for sweet stuff, and everyone knew it. Sakura smiled; as he sniffed his drink and sighed in contend.

"So, Sasuke's back, huh?", she asked before taking a sip from her mug – coffee Naruto supposed.  
"Yep, he is", Naruto answered, not yet feeling too good about the whole topic. He still remembered the kiss from less than twenty-four hours ago and the disappointment that had followed this morning.

"Kiba told me, he asked for a divorce?", Sakura sounded hesitant, as if she feared hurting him, by asking the wrong questions, but it was a sensitive topic to him and it would hurt, not matter how hard Sakura tried to be gentle.

"Yes, he did, but he changed his mind", Naruto answered, taking a sip from the mug himself now. The taste was sweet and rich, a little spicy – cinnamon perhaps – and just the way he liked it the most.  
"What do you mean, he changed his mind?", Sakura asked and blinked in astonishment. When Naruto didn't answer right away, she added: "I thought, he had some kind of girlfriend in Tokyo?".

"He doesn't have a girlfriend", Naruto hissed, harsher than intended, but it seemed Sakura had hit a nerve. Of course he felt jealous. So far, Sasuke had always been his and even if they'd lived separate lives during the past years, Naruto had always believed that Sasuke hadn't found a new lover. And apparently he hadn't, because Karin was by no means his _girlfriend._

Sakura raised her eyebrows upon Naruto's unusual reaction. She wasn't sure what to think of it, but her best friend obviously suffered because of the bastard. It wasn't like Naruto to hiss at people. That was more of a Sasuke kind of thing.

"Sorry…"; Naruto muttered and glanced at the coffee table to avoid his friend's gaze, but Sakura only shook her head and smiled.  
"It's okay. Just tell me what's going on".

Naruto took a deep breath and set the mug on the table, turning it between his fingers, before his eyes finally met Sakura's and he started to talk: "Karin is not Sasuke's girlfriend… she's his fiancé… sort of… his father chose her for him… and at first… he wanted to go through with it and marry her… therefore the divorce… but… he changed his mind".

"He changed his mind? Just like that?", Sakura asked astonished. Sasuke usually wasn't the type of guy, who just changed his mind, but while Naruto told her about Sasuke's sudden visit a few days ago and the kiss, she couldn't get rid of the thought that maybe Sasuke had never stopped loving Naruto at all.

"It doesn't make sense, does it?", Naruto asked, after he'd finished the story. "I mean, why would he change his mind? And why would he just leave me again, if he really had?".  
"Naruto… I think he loved you all the time", Sakura said with a small, sweet smile on her lips.  
"I know he did… but I don't understand why… he suddenly wants to be with me again"  
"Well, I guess, he came back to Konoha to see you one last time, before he'd have to marry that girl and then he realized that there's no way he could ever live without you", she explained.

Naruto blinked and thought about her words. Could that be? Could Sasuke have come to the conclusion that Naruto was the only one who could make him happy? That didn't sound like Sasuke.

"That's wishful thinking. You're too romantic, Sakura. Things like that only happen in movies or books, but never in real life. You don't just realize how much you love someone and then you live happily ever after, no matter how much shit you've already done", he said, shaking his head.

"I know things don't work like that. But you're not supposed to forgive him right away. In real life you have to work through this, but if you do, and even if it takes years, you get another chance at being happy together", Sakura insisted, placing a hand on Naruto arm.

Naruto sighed. "I don't know. I feel like I can't trust him anymore; as if he'd walk out on me again first chance he gets. Hell, I don't even know why he left in the first place!", he said, fisting his hands on his knees as he felt his temper rising.

"Demand an explanation then", Sakura simply said, her green eyes watching his every movement. "Tell him, you won't be able to be with him, as long as those doubts linger in your mind. If he truly wants you back, he won't risk losing you over this stupid secret. And if he doesn't tell you the truth, then you know that he's not the person we all thought he was and not worth your time".

Sakura's words sounded more than reasonable to Naruto, and maybe that was all it would take – to look back on and reappraise the past.

Naruto ran a hand through his hair. A part of him wanted to grab his phone right away, but the other part didn't feel ready for that confrontation yet.

"You're right. I should try that. But not tonight. There's something else I wanted to talk to you about…"  
Sakura tilted her head to one side. "What is it?", she asked, still smiling.

Naruto drew a deep breath. "I met someone. I guy named Sagi-san. He's Konohamaru's teacher and… he seems to be… interested… in me".  
"Aaaand?", Sakura added, knowing from Naruto's voice that there was more to this man than just the fact that he was interested in him.  
"He looks like Sasuke…".

There was silence in the room for some time. Sakura had furrowed her brows and watched Naruto thoughtfully, before she finally spoke again. "Well, I don't know him, but… the chances are high that you only think about him, because he could be some kind of substitute for the real Sasuke… like… 'if I can't have the real deal, I'll just take the second best'. That's not fair to either of you. Sagi-san deserves someone who likes him for who he is, not for whom he looks like and you deserve to be with the man you love and not someone you can play 'pretend' with".

Naruto nodded slowly at her. "Yeah… I thought about that, too. Thanks. He's a nice enough guy, but there's really only _one_ for me".

* * *

A few hours into the night, Naruto was still sipping on his first beer, while the rest of his friends were busy either winning a drinking contest (Lee and Chouji), dancing (Ino and Sakura because none of the boys felt in the mood) or simply sleeping with their head on the table (Shikamaru).Naruto didn't really feel like celebrating or drinking tonight, his head still spinning from Sasuke's disappearance earlier that morning. Sakura's words didn't make things easier. On the one hand, it was great to believe that maybe he and Sasuke could pull through all the stuff that had happened and end up together again, but it would be painful and then there was still the fact that Sasuke hadn't told him about what had happened five years ago

And without knowing why they'd separated in the first place, it was hard to think of them as a couple again.

He sighed and turned his beer in his hand, watching Shika drool on the table as he slept. Surely, if Temari were here, she would have smacked his head already and told him not to make a fool of himself. Luckily however, she was still at her family-bonding-thing with Gaara and would never know that her boyfriend had pissdrunk fallen asleep in a bar. Well, at least not until Lee showed her the pictures he'd taken with his phone. Naruto smiled at the thought of his sometimes still childish friends, before he took another sip from his already warm and stale beer.

"Naruto?", a warm, friendly voice suddenly asked and before Naruto knew it, someone had taken the seat next to him on the bench and he looked into kind coal black eyes.  
"Sagi?", he asked in astonishment. He hadn't answered the man's texts from earlier that day and wondered how on earth he had known that Naruto would be in this bar tonight.  
"Hey, sorry, did I interrupt something?", Sagi politely asked, with a gentle smile on his lips.

Naruto quickly glanced at Shika, who didn't seem like he would wake from his alcohol caused slumber soon.  
"No, I don't think so", he said, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck and grinning sheepishly. He absolutely hadn't expected to meet Sagi of all people.  
"Good. You seemed somehow… upset… Did something happen?", he inquired, his eyebrows furrowed and his voice laced with honest worry.  
"Nahhh, it's nothing", answered Naruto, shaking his head.

"Hmm… if you say so. You don't have to tell me, you know. But maybe you will allow me, to get your mind off of whatever troubles you?", Sagi said, leaning a little closer and smiling again.  
"And how are you gonna achieve that?", Naruto asked, feeling a blush creep up his neck. He didn't want to be that close to the man, but the resemblance to Sasuke made it hard to resist.

 _It's only their looks, not their temperament_ , he told himself.

"Nothing special. I just thought we could dance. What do you think? Just the two of us and the rhythm of the music", Sagi explained, holding a hand out for Naruto to grab it. He knew that, if he accepted the offer, he would soon be dancing close to a man, who made him feel good for all the wrong reasons.

Even if he didn't still love Sasuke and think about getting back together with him, it wouldn't be right to get close to Sagi, just because of his looks. But a simple dance didn't mean they'd be a couple by morning, did it? He wouldn't get too close; muss less kiss him. All Naruto wanted, was to forget about the pain constricting his chest for one evening.

With a small smile and a nod, he took Sagi's offered hand.  
"Yeah, sounds good".

* * *

Sasuke was worried. He had tried to call Naruto several times today, but his husband had never once picked up the phone. At first, Sasuke had thought that maybe the guy was busy with something, but by now it was almost ten in the evening and he still hadn't heard a word.

Two hours earlier, he'd started to feel anxious, his mind providing him with all kinds of scenarios of what could have happened to Naruto, to keep him from calling back or answer his texts. Things had gotten so bad that Sasuke had even gone to Naruto's house to see for himself that the man was well, but he'd found the estate empty by the time he'd arrived there.

That didn't make things any better. Unsure what to think about the whole mess, he'd tried to call Sakura, who had apparently changed her phone number since they'd last spoken, as had Shikamaru. Naruto had told Sasuke that Gaara was busy with some kind of family gathering, meaning Naruto wouldn't be at Gaara's house either.

Not knowing where to look for his husband anymore, Sasuke kept aimlessly driving through town, hoping he'd somehow spot Naruto somewhere. It was Saturday night after all and there was no reason why Naruto wouldn't just go to some club or something, even if he hadn't done things like that before.

It felt like hours had past, since Sasuke had started his search for him, when he finally stopped in front of a bar-club kind of thing, with tables to sit on, as well as a dance floor, for those who didn't want to just sit and talk. The building had large windows, allowing passers-by to have a look inside. The lights were dim, but enough for Sasuke to see inside and watch the people on the dance floor without them seeing him, due to the darkness in front of the window.

What he saw however, made his blood run cold. There, on the dancefloor, was none other than Naruto, dancing far too close with a man who bore an uncanny resemblance to Sasuke himself. The unknown man had his arms wrapped around Naruto's waist, holding him in place as they moved to a rhythm Sasuke couldn't hear from the outside. They weren't kissing or anything, but the close embrace was enough for his jealousy and possessiveness to kick in full force.

Before he knew what he was doing, he had slammed the door open and stormed onto the dancefloor, ignoring the other couples he bumped into on his way to reach Naruto. His blood was on fire by now and he really felt like ripping the head off the guy, who had dared to touch what was his, right here. He could hear his own pulse in his ears, as he finally reached the still oblivious couple, and violently tore the man's hands away from Naruto.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?", he snarled at the man, ignoring the fact that he actually had no right to be jealous.

Blue eyes widened in shock as soon as Naruto realized who had just interrupted his dance with Sagi. To be honest, he'd enjoyed the man's company so far and had not expected Sasuke to ever show up in a bar like this, much less to cause such a scene.

Sagi blinked and took a step back to bring some distance between himself and Sasuke, who looked ready to kill. Those dark eyes screamed murder and without ever tearing his gaze off Sagi, he reached for Naruto and put an arm around his hips.

"Woah! Hey, man, everything's alright", Sagi said, raising both his hands, palms facing, Sasuke, in defence. "We were just dancing".

"I fucking saw-", Sasuke began, just to be interrupted by Naruto, who had finally been able to realize what was going on and now tried to break free from Sasuke's possessive embrace.  
"Fucking hell, teme! Lemme go and stop this shit!", he said, pushing the man away.

By now the whole bar was watching the dispute on the dancefloor, wondering what was going on between the three men. Sakura's gaze landed on Sasuke, who looked positively furious.

Sagi only stared wordlessly as Sasuke turned to face Naruto, but neither got the chance to say anything, as a young, pink haired woman walked up to Sasuke, and grabbed his shoulder, turning him around and slapping his face hard enough to probably leave a mark.

* * *

 **To be continued…**

 **Okay, Sasuke at his best *g* I really wanted him to meet Sagi and show his possessive side again, because so far he's tried to hide it and now Naruto has seen how much Sasuke still wants him. Do you think reacting like that was a good idea? Or should he have stayed calm?**


	17. The Break in the Vow

**Ah, I'm finally back.**

 **Sorry, for the slight delay though. Those exams are getting tough v.v First test starts on Monday and I'm mentally exhausted like never before. Anyway, here's the new chapter, which turned out a bit differently from what I had in mind, so I had to split it in two. You'll see why :P**

 **Have fun guys!**

 **Edit: Soo, I just realized that I uploaded the unedited version of the chapter... v.v real smooth... anyway, I fixed that mistake and have posted the finished version by now. For all those who wondered about strange phrases and too many typos: I'm sorry!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, if I did, the ending would've been quite different *g* All characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.**

 **Warning: _18+ content_! BoyXBoy – don't like don't read (and honestly if you made it this far in the story, you should know what's coming, so don't blame me :P) **

* * *

**Chapter 17 The Break in the Vow**

"How dare you?", Sakura accused, eyes narrowed at Sasuke, grabbing him by the collar. "How dare you show up here and make a scene like that?".

Taken aback, Sasuke stared at her, closing his hands around her wrists. "Let go of me, Sakura", he hissed, still willing to confront the guy who'd been dancing close to _his_ Naruto only moments ago.

"You have no right to act like this Sasuke", Sakura continued, ignoring his words and fastening her hold on his collar. The knuckles on the back of her hands shone white from the force she used and Naruto would have sworn that the fabric of Sasuke's shirt was not far from tearing.

"That's none of your business, Sakura!", Sasuke replied, finally shaking her off with some force.  
"Oh but it is! You keep hurting my best friend and once he has a night of fun you show up. Screw you, Sasuke. Leave Naruto alone. He doesn't want you here!", Sakura crossed her arms in front of her chest and blocked Sasuke's path to Naruto, who had taken some steps away from his enraged husband.

"I don't care, what you think. I want to talk to him", he replied, trying to get past Sakura but failing, when Shikamaru finally grabbed him by the shoulder.  
"She's right, man. Stop this and leave. No one wants you here", he said, calmer than the others and not the least bit sleepy, even if he'd only woken up when the turmoil on the dancefloor had started.

Sasuke looked at Naruto and caught his gaze. He didn't know what he expected to see in them, but the sadness and rejection he found in them, surely wasn't it. He sighed and shook off Shikamaru's hand. "Fine. I'm leaving", he said, knowing when the battle was lost.

He looked back at the man who bore so much resemblance to himself and wondered where Naruto knew him from and what all this meant, but his jealousy had gotten the better of him and he'd screwed up once more.

Outside a slight rain had started to fall and the air was rich with the scent of wet asphalt, spicy and warm. He closed his eyes and stopped next to his car, leaning his head against the cool metal as he felt the tears burn behind his closed eyelids. He'd fucked up. Again.

"Shit!", he hissed just to himself.

"Sasuke?", a voice called from the door of the bar and he looked up, to find Naruto standing right outside, his deep blue eyes fixed on him as he slowly made his way towards him.

"Hey…", Sasuke said, suddenly feeling sheepish after the scene he'd caused in the bar. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants and smiled humourlessly. He really didn't want to fight with Naruto again. Not after things had seemed to get better between them.

"What were you thinking, Sasuke? Acting like that? I thought you didn't want the public to know we're married. What if anyone sells this story to a magazine?", Naruto asked, walking up to him and leaning against the side of the car. The wind and rain made his blond hair look even more dishevelled than usual.

"I wasn't thinking. I saw you and I wanted that guy to take his hands off you. Why did you dance with him like that, anyway?", Sasuke wanted to know, calmer and more composed now. He knew he'd overreacted, but he didn't regret it. Naruto was his and he wouldn't let some freakish lookalike touch him. Besides, hadn't they agreed on trying to work through all this mess? What made Naruto willingly dance with another guy, who, to top it all, looked like Sasuke?

"Okay listen. How about that, I don't want to explain this whole situation in public, so you'll drive us… home… and there we'll talk things through, all right?", Naruto offered, unwilling to let Sasuke go with the impression that Naruto might have cheated on him with Sagi, because that certainly wasn't the case. They had danced, yes. But nothing more.

Sasuke nodded and opened the door to get into his car. "Yeah, we should talk about this", he agreed, his eyes roaming over Naruto's form for a second, as if to check him for 'marks' the other man could have left on him. Naruto sighed and walked around the vehicle to get into the passenger's seat.

The drive to Naruto's… their… whatever… house, passed in silence between them; each of the two caught up in his own thoughts. They wanted to fix this, right? Then why was it so hard, not to do something that upset the other? When had they become this clumsy around each other? Where was their natural dynamic they'd felt their entire life? Like sun and moon. Now things were only awkward.

"So, who was that guy?", Sasuke asked, once Naruto had closed the front door behind him. They hadn't even made it to the living room yet, but Sasuke didn't seem to be patient enough for them to sit down before he confronted Naruto.

"He's Konohamaru's teacher. I met him at the parent-teacher conference last night and he asked for my number", Naruto explained, running a hand through his hair. He was annoyed and stressed by all this drama. All he wanted was some kind of harmony, but no matter what he did, it lately always ended with a fight.

"And today you went out with Sakura and called him to join you, so you would have someone to fuck you later?", Sasuke asked, his voice dark with anger. It took all his self-control not to smash Naruto into the nearest wall and take what was his, but even in a situation like this, raging with jealousy, Sasuke wouldn't force himself on someone.

"No! It's not like that! It was a coincidence! I never meant to meet him again. At least not that way", Naruto shook his head and fisted the hem of his shirt. He desperately wanted Sasuke to believe him. No matter what had happened, Naruto would never cheat on him.

"Hn"

"What's that supposed to mean, bastard?"

"He looks a bit too much like me, to believe that", Sasuke said. He still looked furious and the possessiveness he'd always felt when it came to Naruto, was tugging at his sanity.

"I know he looks a lot like you. And yes that's probably the only reason I gave him my number in the first place. But I didn't invite him tonight, nor did I think of fucking him", Naruto replied, starting to walk up and down in front of Sasuke.

"Then why? Why didn't you call me back? Why did you dance with him like that?", hissed Sasuke, stepping into Naruto's way and forcing the man to look at him.

"Because you did it again! You left again! And all I got was fucking note! Again! Do you have any idea how I felt when I found your damn note this morning?", Naruto yelled, grabbing Sasuke's collar just like Sakura had done earlier tonight. He was furious at Sasuke for even asking.

Sasuke on the other hand froze suddenly, his hands already reaching for Naruto's wrists, to free the shirt from his grip, when the meaning of his words sunk in. "What? I didn't leave. Not like this. I just wanted to take a shower. I… We always left notes for each other. You liked it that way".

"Yeah, I liked it until you fucking abandoned me! Remember how you left me a note five years ago and then changed your address, phone number and everything else, so I couldn't find you? You left me a note and then you fucking cut me off!", somewhere through his words Naruto had been unable to hold his tears back any longer. All the pain and disappointment made his head dizzy. "I loved you so fucking much", he sobbed.

Without thinking about it, Sasuke closed his arms around the man in front of him. Naruto leaned against his chest, tears falling freely from his eyes, straining the expensive fabric, but Sasuke didn't care. No matter how fucked up the situation was, he wanted to hold Naruto close and feel his body. "I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry…", he muttered like a mantra, while his hands moved soothingly over the other man's back.

He didn't know how long they stood like this. It could have been mere minutes or a full hour. But what did it matter? They were both emotionally drained by this to-ing and fro-ing between them and needed each other's proximity.

When Naruto's sobs had finally subsided, Sasuke tilted the blond man's head up, by placing a hand underneath his chin. He wanted Naruto to look at him, when he apologized for leaving him again like this only a few hours ago, but the words stuck in his throat when he gazed into those endless blue oceans. He'd always been a sucker for Naruto's eyes and seeing them now, in this churned up situation, caught him completely off guard.

And instead off talking to him, Sasuke leaned down and brushed his lips against Naruto's. Next thing he knew, tanned arms wrapped round his shoulders and he was pulled into a heated, desperate kiss that had him moan against that hot mouth.

Naruto felt feverish and hot all over after crying against Sasuke's chest, but the second he'd felt his husband's lips on his, his mind had gone blank. He knew he wouldn't be able to stay away from Sasuke, so why bother? They wanted to be together and even if they'd talked about taking it slow, Naruto started to fear that 'taking it slow' would only ruin things for them.

Nothing had ever been slow between them and the more they tried to stay away from each other and give their partner space, the more things seemed to get complicated.

 _Fuck slow!_ , he thought and thrust his tongue into Sasuke's mouth, simultaneously being pushed back hard against the closest wall. Lights danced in front of his eyes when his head hit the wood, but he couldn't care less. Instead of breaking the kiss he even deepened it, nudging Sasuke's tongue to come and play with his.

Sasuke complied eagerly and ran his tongue along Naruto's, before swirling around it and then starting to gently suck it deeper into his mouth. Naruto chuckled a little and fisted his hands into his husband's soft dark hair, tugging at the carefully styled strands, while Sasuke pressed their bodies flush against each other, one of his legs between Naruto's, while his hands still cupped the blond man's face.

A thump gently ran along Naruto's jawline, feeling the hard bone underneath the soft, warm skin, while their tongues still battled for dominance. It had always been like that. Naruto wasn't a naturally submissive person and put up a fight every time, only to give in after having Sasuke get a bit rough with him. So far he hadn't submitted and still hoped that maybe he would be able to force him to bottom at least for once.

Feeling drunk on Naruto's taste and scent, Sasuke finally broke the kiss and stared into deep blue eyes. "Naruto I-", he started, trying to explain his feelings. He wanted the other man to know how much he wanted him, but that he would not force Naruto into anything he didn't feel ready for, yet.

"Shut up!", Naruto interrupted, drawing his husband in for another heated kiss. He wouldn't let Sasuke ruin the moment by talking. There would be time for that later and even if Naruto knew that there would be consequences to his actions, he was already too far gone to stop know. He wanted Sasuke and he would have him.

Sasuke broke the kiss again and reached for Naruto's face, holding his cheeks between his palms. Separated by only a few inches, he could feel his husband's breath fan over his abused lips. "Are you sure?", he asked, his lips brushing over Naruto's as he spoke.

Lust filled cerulean eyes caught his gaze and a confidant grin stretched across Naruto's cheeks. "I want you right now, teme. Stop asking questions", Naruto replied, one of his hands cupping Sasuke's hard on through his pants to confirm his words.

Unable to keep it in, Sasuke moaned against the lips brushing over his. God, how much he'd missed their chemistry – the way they moved together and how good it felt to be close to Naruto, to his own personal sun.

"Bed", he hissed and reached for his husband's hips to lift him up, too impatient to wait any longer. Obediently, Naruto wrapped his legs around Sasuke's waist and fisted his hands into the man's shirt once again, for better purchase.

They never stopped their sloppy kissing on the way up the stairs and into their bedroom. Neither of them knew how often they'd stumbled up those steps, both dizzy with need and lust, but tonight it felt all the more intense after five years without each other.

Sasuke placed Naruto gently on the bed and let go of his lips for only long enough to get rid of both their shirts, blue eyes watching him intently, taking in every ridge and dip of his toned body.

"Like what you see?", he asked, crawling on top of Naruto and tracing his tongue over the sensitive skin of his right ear.

"Fuuuuuck… Sasuke", Naruto moaned, arching his back to rub his crotch against Sasuke's leg, his cock rock hard and yearning for some kind of friction.

Sasuke chuckled darkly. "I take that as a 'yes'", he purred, his lips sliding long Naruto's neck, while his hands roamed over a hard chest until they found the man's nipples and playfully pinched them. He knew exactly which buttons to press if he wanted Naruto to come undone and he would use them all tonight, to make his husband feel good. He wanted this to be more than fucking – a physical proof of his feelings and a renewal of their vows.

Naruto's hands wandered along Sasuke's back, his fingertips outlining spine and muscle, until they reached the man's shoulders, where they sunk into faire skin, leaving small, half-moon shaped marks.

A hiss escaped Sasuke's lips as the blunt nails sank into his skin, but he welcomed the bit of pain, repaying his husband by biting down on the flesh on his neck to leave a purple mark. Naruto was a fast healer and the wound would be gone in a day or two, but that had never kept Sasuke from marking his territory. It only meant he had to re-do the marks more often.

It felt good, to have Naruto wriggle underneath him again, blue eyes hidden behind closed lids, just feeling what Sasuke did to him. Every now and then he would open his eyes and meet Sasuke's gaze with a heated glare filled with lust, while his clothed cock rubbed against Sasuke's leg.

Sasuke smirked and made his way with his lips from Naruto's neck to his chest, circling a pink nipple with his tongue that had Naruto arch in pleasure again. Watching his husband's reactions had always been arousing and seeing him now, his face flushed, eyes darkened by lust, withering in need, made the possessive beast in Sasuke's chest purr in satisfaction.

He smirked darkly and bit the nipple he'd just been nudging with his tongue, sending jolts of pleasure down Naruto's spine and right to his hard, leaking cock.  
"Fuck, Sasuke… stop teasing!", he moaned, fisting on of his hands into the soft strands of black hair, tugging harshly to pull Sasuke's mouth away from the abused nub.

"As eager as always?", he replied with a low chuckle, licking along Naruto's lips with the tip of his tongue to tease him even more, while he pinched both nipples again.

"Nggghhh… put your mouth to good use, bastard ", Naruto answered, raising his hips to emphasize his words.

"Oh I will, don't you worry", Sasuke said, his voice rich with amusement, as he lowered himself onto Naruto again and ran his lips over the flat planes of Naruto's abs, his fingers simultaneously fumbling with the buttons of his pants. After he'd finally opened them, he slid a little lower, positioning himself more thoroughly between the man's legs.

Sasuke locked his gaze with Naruto's as he dipped down and took the opener of his fly into his mouth, slowly pulling it down with his teeth. The sight was almost too much for Naruto. Even after all those years, it was still a miracle to him that this gorgeous man should be his and seeing him go down on him always had Naruto's head spinning just at the thought of having Sasuke suck him off.

But so far there were no lips around his dick, only too constricting fabric that opened far too slowly. It was frustrating to say the least and the way Sasuke massaged Naruto's thighs, close to his crotch but never touching it, didn't make things easier for him. However, the other man didn't fare any better.

After years of separation and jerking off to the man, Sasuke thought he would never have him this way again, finally touching him, made his head spin with excitement and his cock throb in eagerness. He wanted to burry himself in that tight heat and thrust into his husband until they both came undone, but he wanted to do it properly this time. Without any regrets.

As soon as the zipper was finally opened, Sasuke hooked his fingers under the waistband of Naruto's pants and boxers, shoving both of them down to free his cock from its constriction. Naruto hissed the moment his heated flesh met the cool air. With the annoying clothes gone, the need for friction and touching only increased, but Sasuke, instead of taking care of Naruto's leaking, angry red erection, sat up on his knees and placed one of Naruto's leg on his shoulder to run his lips along the skin of his ankle, taking in the clean scent that was just Naruto.

"The fuck are you doing?", Naruto asked, shivering in need when Sasuke continued to neglect his throbbing member.

"Tasting you", Sasuke replied, his lips only leaving the sun kissed skin for as long as it took him to answer, before he slid further up to Naruto's knee, kissing and touching every inch of skin he could reach.

"Stop this", Naruto hissed, thrusting up in need to grind his cock against something, but only finding thin air.

Sasuke chuckled and let go of Naruto's knee, leaning down to bring their faced to one level. "So, what do you want me to do?", he asked teasingly.

Naruto took immediate advantage of Sasuke's new position, thrusting up again and this time meeting his fabric covered crotch. Skin to skin contact would have been better, but Naruto was desperate enough by now to be happy with everything he got. "Suck me!", he demanded, clouded eyes locking with Sasuke's.

The words went right down to Sasuke's cock, making it twitch inside his pants. "As you wish", he said, stealing another kiss from Naruto, before his slid down between his leg again, running his cheek along the hard, heated flesh of his erection. He still smelled as spicy and good as always.

Licking his lips, Sasuke ran his tongue over the tip of Naruto's member, making him arched off the bed and hiss in pleasure. The blond man hadn't been touched like this in years and Sasuke's extended foreplay and teasing made it hard for him not to come on the spot, now that he felt that wicked tongue circle around his cock.

Dark satisfaction boiled in Sasuke's chest as he finally took Naruto completely into his mouth, letting his lips glide down the hard flesh before sucking hard.

"Nnnnngggghhh", Naruto's hands fisted the sheets beneath his back, the heat from his cock sending blots of pleasure through his system.

Sasuke looked up at his husband and watched every expression on his handsome features, the flushed cheeks, parted lips and clouded eyes. It was the most erotic sight in the world and made Sasuke's dick twitch in anticipation, as he hummed happily around the length inside his mouth.

The heat was almost unbearable and the urge to come was getting more and more devastating for Naruto. He could feel the vibrations of Sasuke's throat that finally broke his restrain and he thrust into his husband's mouth hard and fucked his face rough.

Yet Sasuke never complained. It took him a moment to adjust to Naruto's movements, but once he'd relaxed his throat, he enjoyed the man's thrusting, while he used his tongue to intensify the feeling. The rhythm was rough and fast, but he didn't mind. Pleasuring Naruto caused a warm and satisfied feeling to spread in his chest and it didn't take long for Naruto to moan Sasuke's name as he came hard down the man's throat.

With another chuckle, Sasuke swallowed Naruto's cum and ran his tongue over the now softened member to lick him clean, feeling the flesh grow semi-hard again in his mouth.

"Holy fuck, Sasuke…", Naruto panted, falling back into the sheets. He'd just come but the urge to touch and feel had not yet subsided. He wanted more and Sasuke was still wearing his annoying pants, which Naruto decided, had to go off now.

He propped up on his elbows and watched his husband, who placed his hands on either side of Naruto's head now and leaned down to capture his lips for a soft, almost gentle kiss. Too gentle for Naruto's liking. He deepened the kiss and playfully bit Sasuke's lips, spicing their kissing up, while he ran his hands down to his pants and opened the fly.

Carefully and yet teasingly, he touched the man's clothed erection with his fingertips through the fabric of his boxer briefs, simultaneously pulling down his jeans to leave him in nothing but his underwear. Sasuke gasped into the kiss when he felt Naruto's finger brush over his cock again. He was shaking with need by now and his husband's touches didn't make things easier. He broke the kiss and shoved his boxer briefs down with one hand, while at the same time trying to open a drawer with the other one. It was highly likely that Naruto, being a creature of habit, had still kept the same tube of lube in that drawer, or, if he'd used it up while jerking off, he would have placed the new tube exactly where they'd always stowed them away.

To his very satisfaction Sasuke indeed found a tube in there and pulled it out, flipping the lid open and squeezing a generous amount onto his fingers. He knew, he'd need to properly prepare Naruto after five years of abstinence. With the lube glistening on his fingers, Sasuke looked at his husband, who was watching him with his beautiful blue orbs, darkened by lust and need, and nodded at him, when he read the unspoken question in Sasuke's eyes.

Happy with Naruto's reaction, Sasuke used his lube-free hand to lift the other man's legs up and place them on his shoulders, effectively raising his hips far enough to get a nice view at his sexy ass, before he leaned in and ran his tongue over sensitive buttocks, while holding Naruto's legs up with his hand.

Naruto moaned a little, as he felt the wet muscle on his skin. He'd come only minutes ago, but his cock was already hardening again just from the thought of what was about to happen soon. Of course he still wanted to switch positions one day but for now, it was enough for him, to just feel Sasuke again and although the voice in his head told him that it was too early for the two of them to go this far, he ignored that warning in favour of just relishing in the close proximity he shared with the man he'd missed for so long.

Sasuke's tongue worked its way from Naruto's buttocks to his puckered hole and carefully ran over the sensitive flesh. Naruto's back arched off the bed and he clenched his fists, leaving small half-moon shaped circles in his palms, causing Sasuke to smirk at his reaction. Encouraged by Naruto's load moan, he flicked his tongue over his hole again and watched how it twitched afterwards.

"Fuck, teme! What are you doing?", Naruto moaned, his sweat sheened body shivering under the sensation.  
"Tasting you", Sasuke said and, as if to conform his words, slowly dipped his tongue into the hole, feeling Naruto clench around him, as licked his insides.

"Oh Goooood! More", Naruto yelled in response and tried to move his ass closer to Sasuke to feel him even deeper. A throaty chuckle escaped Sasuke lips, muffled by the soft skin they were pressed against, as he started to move his tongue back and forth inside his husband, making him feel hot all over.

In the past they'd only done this once, after a night similar to this one, when Sasuke had also felt the urge to reinforce his claim of ownership when it came to Naruto. The force to have him in every possible way had just been too strong to resist, and was again tonight.

From back then, Sasuke also remembered how quick this treatment had made Naruto come and so he kept fucking him with his tongue, while Naruto writhed under him in sheer unbearable pleasure. Naruto's ass was tingling with the sensation and spikes of lust ran through his system, every time Sasuke moved that skilled tongue of his inside Naruto. He felt hot all over, so much that his nerves felt on fire and all he wanted was to finally come.

And when his second orgasm hit him as a wave of overwhelming bliss, he yelled Sasuke's name, fisting the sheets with such need that they finally tore. Unable to think, he lay on the mattress, his chest rising and falling heavily, when Sasuke pulled his tongue out and leaned in for them kiss. And who was Naruto to deny him that? That man had just fucked his ass with his tongue, the least thing he deserved was a kiss, even if the sudden emptiness felt strange.

"You're so fucking hot", Sasuke growled against Naruto's lips, simultaneously inserting a finger into the already loosened hole. Despite having come only minutes ago, Naruto moaned again as a new wave of pleasure ran through his veins as soon as he felt the teasing digit inside his ass. Sasuke still knew his husband well enough to find his prostate after only a few tentative strokes.

"Nnnnnnaaaaagggg… Bastard… give me a second", Naruto groaned, breaking the kiss and opening his eyes.  
"Getting old, are we?", Sasuke teased, rubbing Naruto's prostate again.  
"Shut up, teme! I just came twice! How about you stop talking and start to perform", Naruto retorted, a wolfish grin on his lips that Sasuke immediately responded to by inserting a second finger and starting to spread Naruto without the careful treatment he would usually give his lover.  
"You're gonna wish you'd never said that when I'm done with you", he said, working his lube slickened fingers inside his husband, making him moan and writhe again.

Initially, Sasuke had intended to be gentle and slowly prepare Naruto, but with all the teasing he decided not to be so generous, and soon pulled his two fingers out, lining his cock with Naruto's slightly loosened hole. However, before moving another inch, he searched for Naruto's eyes and found all the reassurance he needed his blue gaze.

"Do it, Sasuke", Naruto breathed, this time without any teasing. His voice was just soft and happy and all Sasuke could do, was to press against the puckered hole and slowly slide inside the velvety warmth that was waiting for him.

Naruto was tight and hot, around him. His walls pressing deliciously against Sasuke's cock as he sank into him inch by inch. "God… you feel so good…", Sasuke moaned throwing his head back in pleasure. He'd jerked off to his memory off this but the real deal was a hundred times better than any faded memory.

"Move, teme!", Naruto demanded, clenching his muscles to apply even more pressure to Sasuke cock and had he not been quick enough to grab his dick around the base to stifle his orgasm, he would have come on the spot.

"Shit! Stop that, usuratonkachi", Sasuke hissed, but started to thrust into him anyway. It wasn't only Naruto who craved to feel more. They set up a slow rhythm, with shallow thrusts, for Naruto to get used to Sasuke's size. After five years apart, Naruto really wasn't used to this anymore, but he loved the sensation anyway. This was Sasuke filling him after all.

Naruto laughed happily, sending low vibrations down to Sasuke's dick. "So, who's the one getting old?", he asked, jerking his hips up to encourage Sasuke to speed his movements up. This time Sasuke didn't reply, instead he caught Naruto's lips for another kiss and pulled out almost the entire way just to slam back into him full force.

In response, Naruto wrapped his arms around Sasuke and dug his nails into the creamy skin, as not to lose himself completely in the hot sensation inside his ass. The rhythm got harder and faster with each deep thrust, Sasuke's hips jerking forward, unable to stop, and his cock throbbing from all that perfect friction. He knew, he wouldn't last long like this, but he wanted for Naruto to come a third time before he did.

He broke the kiss and reached in between them, closing his fist around Naruto's hard member. The man whimpered at the sensation and bit his lip until it started to bleed. Sasuke watched him and leaned down, gently liking the blood away, while he ran his hand over the tip of Naruto's erection, gathering the pre-come there and slickening his movements. He could feel his climax coil inside his guts, but found himself unable to slow down his pounding. Naruto just felt too good.

Their breath mingled and their bodies moved against each other in a heavy rhythm. The air was thick with the scent of sweat and sex, and the room filled the sound of skin slapping against skin. The friction got so intense that Sasuke found himself unable to form a coherent thought. All he could do was work Naruto's cock in his hand while he kept thrusting into him, hitting his prostate dead on with every stroke.

"Ahhhhhhhnnnnnngggg Sasuke", Naruto groaned, arching his back again, when he came for a third time that night, shooting his load in between their sweat slickened bodies.

The sound of his husband's voice and the feeling of warm, sticky cum on his fingers, was enough to send Sasuke crashing over the edge. He filled Naruto's wet, hot insides with his seed, riding out his orgasm with shallow thrusts, and whispered in his husband's ear "I love you. I love you", again and again, until he collapsed on top of him, breathing in his unique scent.

"I missed you so fucking much!", Naruto said, locking his eyes with Sasuke's, his mind still fuzzy from all the sensations. He knew he'd have to think about all this come morning, but right now he only wanted to cherish the few moments of peace they would be able to share.

Sasuke rolled off Naruto and although they were both sweaty and sticky, he didn't get up, but instead spread his arms to invite the other man in. Naruto, happy about Sasuke willingness to cuddle, cozied up to him and smiled happily against the warm skin of Sasuke's collarbone as he felt his husband's chin come to rest on his head.

"I'm not going anywhere ever again", Sasuke whispered into the darkness, closing his eyes and never seeing the one tear that ran down Naruto's cheek.

God, how much he wanted to believe him.

* * *

 **To be continued…**

 **Sooooo… I couldn't resist making it bittersweet in the end. But I always had this scene in my head, where they finally talk and show their emotions and Sasuke just can't stay away anymore and all his resolves crumble. Do you think that was a good idea for them to have sex, or will they regret what happened in the morning?**


	18. The Lost in the Found

**Hey guys, I know I'm awfully late with this chapter. My exams were harder than expected and my mom decided to take me on a surprise vacation afterwards. But I'm back at home now, a bit more relaxed, and finally finished this chapter! I really enjoyed having Gaara back *g* He's just so nice to write, really.**

 **I want to thank you all again for your support! You follow and favorite and leave reviews and all I do is being almost a week late with the update v.v I'm sorry! I hope you'll enjoy this chapter. We are getting really close to the last arch.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, if I did, the ending would've been quite different *g* All characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.**

* * *

 **Chapter 18 The Lost in the Found**

The first thing Sasuke noticed, when he woke the next morning, was not the sun shining through the windows, nor the twittering of the birds outside, but the fact that he felt warm and cosy, which was quite extraordinary since he hadn't felt like this in years and it took his still sluggish mind a while to comprehend that he wasn't in his hotel room, all alone in the king seized bed, but in the house he'd bought with Naruto and above that, he was sharing a bed with him.

He opened his eyes to glance at the alarm clock on the nightstand, feeling a little pang in his chest as he remembered how often he'd woken up just like today, to see that it was barely past seven and he could very well get a few more hours of sleep. With a content sigh, he turned his head and looked at the man in his arms. They'd slept with their limbs entangled, Naruto's forehead resting against Sasuke's chest, causing his breath to fan over alabaster skin.

How much he wished, he could wake up to this, every morning for the rest of his life. Well, there was a small change for it to be possible but Sasuke knew he still had to fight. Last night had been a blur and they had simply crashed after all those tense confrontations. Now that tension was hopefully gone, so that both of them would be able to focus on fixing whatever was left of their broken relationship.

Closing his eyes, Sasuke buried his nose in Naruto's soft blond hair, breathing in his scent that instantly calmed him. It was pointless to muse about their problems now, without knowing how Naruto would react once he woke up and realized that indeed they'd had sex the previous night. So instead of overthinking the unknown, Sasuke snuggled up to him and fell asleep again.

* * *

When Naruto woke up that morning he opened his eyes and grunted. He felt sore and aching, but in the usually best of ways. It had been years since he had last felt the aftermath of sex the next morning and with it came the realisation that he'd crossed a very serious line last night. So far he and Sasuke had talked about getting back together and Naruto had made it clear from the beginning that rebuilding this relationship would take time. Now however, all the walls he'd installed to shield himself from pain had been taken down.

Did Sasuke think there were back together because they'd had sex? Did he understand that last night had just been Naruto reacting instead of thinking? It wasn't that he felt regret about what they had done, just uncertainty about what was to follow. Where were they with their relationship? What was supposed to come next? Could he just step back behind his boundaries, now that he'd crossed them once?

It was all too much to think about now, especially since he could already smell the tempting scent of fresh pancakes from downstairs. Sasuke had obviously gotten up before him and decided to make breakfast – Naruto's favourite one that was. Warmth spread inside his chest when he it dawned on him that Sasuke hadn't forgotten about all of Naruto's likes and dislikes over the years. It was proof that no matter how far away he had been, he had always cared. Naruto's heart ached at the thought. He knew Sasuke loved him, with his mind he understood that Sasuke would not walk out on him again, but his heart wasn't sure yet. The fear was still there, whispering to him whenever he thought about trusting Sasuke again.

Yawing, he rubbed his eyes and swung his legs over the edge of the bed, cringing slightly as he became aware of the state he was in. Last night he'd just fallen asleep without taking a shower and him and Sasuke had done it bareback with Sasuke coming inside Naruto. Well, he was lucky that nothing was leaking out, but he would definitely take a shower as soon as he'd eaten his breakfast.

Under different circumstances, Naruto wouldn't even wait until after he'd eaten, but with Sasuke making an effort to surprise him, he couldn't just ignore the man. He took fresh clothes from his wardrobe, preferring sweatpants and a comfy shirt for a day in the house, and got dressed, before he ascended down the stairs.

Sasuke was already busying himself in the kitchen, an amazing amount of pancakes stacked on a plate beside him. And fuck, they looked perfect. Like the ones you always see in commercials and wonder how the hell people get them to look like this - perfectly round, not torn, neither too thick nor thin. Naruto licked his lips as he leaned against the doorframe and watched his husband work his magic with the pan.

He knew things would get awkward the moment he started talking, but right now, it felt really nice to just look at Sasuke and take in how he moved and gestured, biting his bottom lip in concentration and running a hand through his still uncombed midnight hair. He would never go outside like this and Naruto was sure he was the only person on the planet who had ever seen Uchiha Sasuke not perfectly styled. Seeing that Sasuke still felt comfortable enough around him to just wear sweats and a baggy shirt warmed Naruto's heart.

And made it stop a second later.

He blinked. And blinked again. Yes, there was no doubt – Sasuke was indeed wearing Naruto's clothes.

"What are you staring at, dobe?", Sasuke suddenly asked, well aware of Naruto having entered the room some minutes ago without saying a word. It was unnerving with Sasuke still unsure about how his husband would react to him after last night. But he had to admit that this reaction surprised him somehow.

"You are wearing my stuff", Naruto answered slightly mesmerized. His blue eyes still locked on the dark red shirt with the imprint 'Always be yourself unless you can be Batman- then always be Batman'. It looked so alien on Sasuke that is made Naruto chuckle and hide his amusement behind his hands.

"Of course I am. I don't have any clothes here and this shirt is the only one with a tolerable colour", Sasuke explained, piling yet another pancake on the stack, before carrying all of them over to the table. "I hope you're hungry", he added with a small smile.

Naruto started to grin, and walked up to the table, were Sasuke had already put plates for both of them and all kinds of syrups for the pancakes although he himself always ate them with only icing sugar. "Yeah, thanks by the way. You didn't have to do that though".

Sasuke shook his head and sat down, putting one of the pancakes on his plate. "No I didn't, but I wanted to", he said without looking at Naruto. So far the atmosphere was relaxed and he wanted to relish in that as long as possible.

"Thanks. They are really good", Naruto replied between two bites, his own pancakes dripping with maple syrup.

"So you are still a sucker for sweet and sticky stuff?", Sasuke asked, trying to make conversation when he knew that he was usually bad at it. Communication had never been his strong point and he feared that he'd just say the wrong thing and screw everything up again. He couldn't hope that Naruto would again break down and seek his embrace by inviting him into his bed again.

"Ha, not entirely!", Naruto exclaimed proudly. "I went for Gin Tonic at Kiba's and Hinata's wedding!".

Sasuke raised both eyebrows. It really was astonishing for Naruto, who didn't even like coffee, to drink something so harsh. "How come?", he asked and watched Naruto's expression change to sadness.

"I told myself that in doing so I'd moved on and didn't need you anymore", he mumbled and Sasuke felt a weight settle in his guts. He'd done it. He'd ruined their good mood. Trust him to fuck things up again.

There was a tense silence between them for a few minutes before Naruto finally broke it. "Listen, Sasuke. I don't think last night was a mistake or something. I don't regret it. It was just… a bit early… and I don't… I don't want you to jump to conclusions… sex and a shared breakfast don't make us lovers again… not yet a least…", he said his voice trembling. He didn't want to push Sasuke away, but he needed to know why he had left, otherwise he would never be able put his fear behind himself.

Sasuke nodded slowly. He'd been prepared for Naruto saying something like that, even if it still hurt to actually hear him say the words Sasuke had feared he would. "I thought you'd say that. What can I do, to make you trust me again?", he asked, turning a mug of coffee between the tips of his fingers.

"Tell me what happened five years ago. Without knowing why you abandoned me the first time, I won't be able to overcome the fear that it might happen again. I'm practically waiting for you, to walk out on me again", Naruto answered honestly, closing his eyes for a brief second.

There was silence again for a time. The thought of telling Naruto still didn't sit well with Sasuke, who wasn't sure that the truth wouldn't lead to a clash between his husband and his father. But he wanted Naruto back and as it seemed, there was no other way to get him back than by telling him about how Fugaku hat blackmailed Sasuke into leaving behind the only person who'd ever really been important to him.  
"I will. I will tell you the truth. But… not now. I want to do it properly. I will take you on a date and treat you and then I'll tell you, why I left. And why I left nothing more than a note".

"When?", was all Naruto managed to get out. His voice sounded rough with emotions. He'd get all the answers he'd longed for during those years apart and although he'd wished for them so often, it felt now strange to come close to them. What was it, Sasuke would tell? Had he lost his interest in Naruto back then? Or had he just decided that his career was more important than love? Naruto didn't know which one he'd prefer. Both scenarios filled him with dread. What if the truth would shatter everything? Wasn't being oblivious sometimes a blessing? Without knowing the whole truth he'd be able to lie to himself, but he also wouldn't be able to trust.

"Friday evening at 8", Sasuke answered as if he'd planned it like that all along. The whole truth… no more lies… no more secrets. It had to be done. And if Naruto came to the conclusion that he'd eventually be able to trust Sasuke again, he would finally ask Itachi to aid him in confronting Fugaku and end this farce of an engagement.

Naruto nodded in agreement. "Sounds good. You choose the place and when we're there you're gonna spill the beans to me, so we can move on from this bullshit", he said, pushing away his empty plate.

"Yeah, I will. I expect, you want me to go? I'll bring your clothes over later, after I showered at the hotel", Sasuke said, ready to rise from his chair when a tanned hand closed around his wrist and his eyes snapped towards blue ones in surprise, finding them focused on him.

"Stay here. We have a guest room remember? It's your house as well and even if I think that it's too early for us to share a bed again, we can still share the house. You don't need to stay at the hotel. Take you shower here and then go get your stuff", Naruto said with a small smile gracing his pink lips; his cerulean eyes warm and welcoming.

Sasuke felt a strange kind of fondness spread through his guts. He'd almost forgotten how generous Naruto was, although that had been one of his deeming qualities Sasuke had fallen for. Although Naruto had never had much in his childhood and adolescence, he'd always been eager to share what little he possessed. "Thank you, Naruto. Know what? How about you go and take a shower first and I'll take care of the kitchen in the meanwhile. Afterwards I'll shower and then I'll get my stuff from the hotel, alright?".

"Sounds good to me", Naruto replied with a smile as bright as the sun. He happily bounced out of the room, leaving Sasuke alone with the dishes. A few minutes later, he could hear the sound of the shower from the upper floor and it took a lot of willpower not imagine Naruto's lean, hot body dripping wet and ready to be taken. Maybe moving in, even as something like 'roommates' wasn't Sasuke's best idea. But to be honest, he wanted to be close to his dobe, no matter what.

He'd just put everything in the dishwasher, when the doorbell rang and judging by the sounds from above, Naruto would either not hear it because of the water or, if he did hear, he'd be too wet to get the door, which let Sasuke to take matters into his own hands and even if he hadn't lived here for a very long time, answer the door.

Clear green eyes narrowed at him as soon as he opened it though. Giving him the once over, Gaara crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Uchiha…", he said, sounding not exactly happy.

Sasuke sighed. He'd somehow hoped it would be Konohamaru or Sakura waiting outside, but of course it had to be Gaara. "Sabaku. What can I do for you?", Sasuke asked, pretending not to see the questioning look he received.

"Why are you wearing Naruto's clothes?", the other man asked, walking past Sasuke as if he'd been invited in and Sasuke had to remind himself that Gaara apparently was Naruto's best friend and it would be unwise to provoke him.

"I stayed the night, but I didn't bring a new change of clothes. So I borrowed some of his", Sasuke explained, watching the other man taking off his shoes. He wouldn't get a chance to get rid of the redhead as it seemed.

"Why?", Gaara asked without looking as Sasuke. The whole situation was more than questionable. True, he hadn't seen Naruto for a few days due to his family gathering, but having the door suddenly opened by Sasuke was quite unexpected nonetheless.

"Because I prefer clothes over going naked", Sasuke replied nonchalantly, a small smirk gracing his lips as he leaned against the wall and watched Gaara. He couldn't blame the man for not liking Sasuke very much, but he also wouldn't give him the opportunity to ruin whatever he'd build up with Naruto again.

"Why did you stay the night?", the other man asked, stifling his impulse to roll his eyes at Sasuke's childish answer. Who would have guessed that the Uchiha could be iffy if he felt threatened by someone?

"That's none of your business, Sabaku. If Naruto wants to tell you, he will. Tea?", Sasuke said, walking into the kitchen without waiting for Gaara. He was sure, he would follow anyway and it just felt too good to show off how comfortable Sasuke felt in the house that strictly speaking still belonged to him even though he hadn't lived here for quite some time.

Shaking his head, Gaara followed Sasuke into the kitchen. "Yes please. Earl Grey", he answered and then looked around, as if checking for major changes. "Where is Naruto anyway?", he asked, leaning against the kitchen counter, while Sasuke rummaged through the cupboards.

"Taking a shower. I'm sure he'll join us soon", he replied upon turning on the electric kettle and placing two mugs on the counter next to Gaara, who watched Sasuke's every move as if he expected some kind of attack.

The air was thick this tension between the two men, who both saw the other as a threat when it came to Naruto. Though Sasuke didn't think that Naruto would ever start something with Gaara, he could have done so more than once in the past five years, but hadn't, he also knew that Gaara didn't really like him and wanted him gone. Gaara however, saw in Sasuke only the man who'd hurt his best friend so deeply and now came back to make things only worse. He didn't want to see Naruto suffer any more on his account.

"Hey, Sasuke who wa-", Naruto started as he entered room, but stopped talking as soon as his gaze fell upon Gaara, who walked over to the kettle and poured some water into his mug, before setting it back on the counter to wait for the tea to steep. "Gaara…", he added, not knowing what else to say.

Sasuke sighed and walked past Naruto. "I'll leave you two to it and take a shower myself now", he said, standing in the doorway and looking back over his shoulder to his husband, who nodded gratefully.

As soon as Sasuke had left the room, Naruto reached for the second mug and sniffed the tea he'd brewed for him. Apple Cinnamon… the only tea Naruto really liked. Warmth spread through his body at the realization that his husband indeed hadn't forgotten those small details.

"So, he stayed the night?", Gaara asked, both his invisible eyebrows raised, before sipping at his tea.

Naruto felt the blush creep up his neck and dust his cheeks. Well… it was just too obvious, wasn't it? With Sasuke wearing Naruto's clothes. "Yeah… he kinda… crashed… here last night", he answered, trying to hide his face behind the mug, but to no avail.

"And what did this _crashing_ include?", Gaara inquired, his clear eyes now fixed on Naruto's neck that was covered with love bruises.

Feeling Gaara's burning gaze, Naruto tried to hide the marks under the collar of his shirt, but it was already too late. His best friend had seen the evidence of what had happened between him and Sasuke the previous night and it didn't make any sense to try and deny it.

"Well… things… kinda escaladed… and – fuck, yes I slept with him. Happy now?", Naruto half yelled, running a nervous hand through his still damp hair.

Gaara didn't answer for quite some time, just watching his friend squirm and shift under his gaze, before he finally sighed. "So, you're back together?", he concluded, his voice neutral, not showing any kind of emotion, as did his face.

Naruto hated the moments, when Gaara became this untouchable person, who didn't share his thoughts. It was usually a sign that he was really pissed off by something, and this time it wasn't hard to realise what this 'something' was. He shook his head and took another sip from his tea. "No, we're not. He wants us to be… but… I can't trust him yet. So… no, we're not a couple, but… he's going to move into the guestroom for now", he explained, shifting again as he felt those eyes follow his every move.

"And you think that's a good idea?", Gaara asked again, slowly raising one hairless brow.

"I don't know, but it's his house as well… He shouldn't have to stay in a hotel the entire time, when it's me, who can't decide if he wants to get back together just yet", a sigh followed Naruto's words.

"He lost that privilege the moment he walked out on you. He could go live under some bridge for all I care. You're too kind for your own good; Naruto, but I know why you're doing this. Anyway, if he hurts you, I'll break every bone he has – twice", Gaara's voice still betrayed no emotion, it sounded rather relaxed, as if he were merely talking about the weather and not about seriously hurting another person. And yet, Naruto didn't dare to question how serious his friend was about his threat.

"I'll break his bones myself, if he hurts me again", he said with a small smile, even if he knew that other than Gaara, he'd never be able to harm Sasuke.

"So, why did he leave anyway?", Gaara asked nonchalantly, the tension disappearing from his shoulders as he hopped on the counter and tilted his head curiously.

Naruto sighed again and closed his eyes. "I don't know yet. He promised to take me on a date on Friday and then tell me what happened".

"Hang on, you had sex with him without knowing the truth? Are you insane?"

"Hey, I know that it wasn't my brightest idea so far but… I just happened… I didn't plan on sleeping with him, okay? It was just… one thing led to another and suddenly we were kissing and… shit, it just felt so good, yes? I couldn't say no… I love him for fucks sake!", Naruto exclaimed, throwing his hands up in frustration.

"I see… just make sure he'll really do it. Don't let him postpone the truth too often, to make you forget about it after a while. He's… courting… you, which means he's probably serious about wanting to be with you, but that doesn't give him the right pretend that the past didn't happen", Gaara replied, calmer than Naruto but with a sad little smile on his thin lips. He'd watched his friend suffer from his husband's betrayal for years and he was tired of drying his tears time and time again. He wanted Naruto to be happy.

"I'll make sure he tells me on Friday. Promise", Naruto answered with a nod and a very similar sad smile. All too well did he remember Sasuke's vows of love and loyalty last night, but he also remembered how impossible it had been to believe them.

"Good. I'll take my leave then. We'll talk about this more on Monday, okay?", Gaara put his mug away and hopped off the counter, placing one hand on Naruto's shoulder before he left.

Naruto shook his head again and sniffed the half-finished tea. The scent was kind of soothing and he still couldn't stifle the butterflies in his stomach. Sasuke had remembered his favourite tea and even brewed it for him without having been asked before.

"He already gone?", Sasuke asked, as he re-entered the kitchen, his hair dripping wet and sticking to his face, making him look gorgeous and tempting.  
"Yeah, he just wanted to check on me", Naruto replied with a smile, his eyes roaming over Sasuke's form. With his still slightly wet body, Naruto's clothes clung to him all the more, revealing his lean muscles. The sight sent sparks straight to Naruto's crotch and he closed his eyes to will his erection away. Now wasn't the time for that.

"He's a really good friend. I'm glad you have him", Sasuke suddenly said, moving closer and raising one hand, to tug a few loose strands behind Naruto's ear. His fingertips touched warm skin and the contact made Naruto blush again.

"I'm glad I met him", he replied, his voice rougher than expected, now that Sasuke was so close again. Yeah, they had gotten over the sexual tension between them last night, but with the memory so fresh in his mind, Naruto found it even harder to resist the temptation.

Smouldering onyx eyes caught his gaze and a hand settled against his neck, gently rubbing the skin at his pulse point. Naruto gulped; he knew what would come next and his heart screamed at him to just close the gap between them and kiss Sasuke, but this time his brain won the fight and instead of embracing his husband, Naruto closed his eyes and stepped away from him.

"I'm sorry…", he mumbled, not looking at Sasuke, whom he could hear sigh deeply.

"It's okay. I… I should probably go now", Sasuke said, taking another step away from Naruto. The rejection hurt, but what had he expected? Naruto had told him that they weren't together just because their lust had gotten the better of them last night.

"Wait!", he exclaimed, reaching for Sasuke's arm, blue eyes wide. "I… please… don't think that I don't want to… I really do… I just…". Naruto blushed and gulped, not sure of how to explain what he was feeling. Sasuke meant so much to him and even though he feared that he'd walk out on him again, he also didn't want to lose him by making things difficult.

"You don't need to explain, Naruto. It's fine really. I'll go fetch my stuff and give both of us some time to think, okay?", Sasuke said, shaking his head and smiling affectionately. He couldn't blame his husband for wanting to take things slow.

Biting his lip, Naruto suddenly moved forward and wrapped his arms around Sasuke's waist, pressing his own body against the soothing warmth. "I'm just so scared that this won't work out and I'll lose you again", he admitted, feeling his husband hug him back and kiss the top of his head.

"I'm not going to leave again. I swear it. I'll move into the guestroom and proof to you that you can trust me again", he mumbled against soft blond hair, closing his eyes and breathing Naruto's wonderful scent.

Naruto nodded and detangled himself from his husband. "I want to trust you like I used to", he said with a small nod.

"You will. I'll be back before you know it", Sasuke replied, leaning in to kiss Naruto's forehead, before he left the kitchen and put his shoes and jacket on. Naruto followed and watched his husband in silence. He could of course accompany him, but Sasuke was right, they both needed time away from each other to think things through.

A lot had happened last night, and maybe Naruto should call Sakura and tell her that he was okay, because he'd left the bar rather abruptly and had not returned the entire night. She was probably worried about him after the scene Sasuke had caused.

As soon as his husband was out of the door, Naruto shuffled back into the bedroom, where his phone was resting on the bedside table, and picked it up. However, he never got the chance to dial Sakura's number as the device started to buzz in his hand as soon as he'd taken it up, showing Sagi's number.

Naruto blinked at the screen, but decided to take the call anyway. After what had happened last night, the man had every right to call and ask what the fuck was going on.

"Hey, Sagi", Naruto said as soon as he'd accepted the call.

"Good morning Naruto. I hope my call doesn't come at an awkward moment?", Sagi replied, sounding a bit unsure, as if he'd struggled with the decision if he should call in the first place.

"Ah, no. It's alright. Listen, I'm very sorry about yesterday and I feel like I really owe you an explanation of what happened with Sasuke", Naruto said, fumbling with the hem of his shirt. His nerves were getting the better of him. The whole situation was messed up again.

In retrospective, he should never have accepted Sagi's number that night at the parent-teacher conference, but his kindness and the uncanny resemblance to Sasuke had been enough for Naruto to at least consider letting the man into his life. He knew he had never been fair to Sagi, but everyone felt selfish once in a while. And now Naruto had to pay the price for his hasty actions.

"Yeah, you're right, you owe me for getting yelled at by your… what is he anyway? Your boyfriend?", Sagi answered now sounding irritated and angered. And who was Naruto to blame him? He would be just as pissed off, if someone had showed interest, only to be claimed by a guy who caused a scene on a dance floor and above all was my own fucking lookalike.

"My… husband. It's a long story actually", Naruto mumbled feeling slightly embarrassed.

"I don't care. How about we meet for coffee and you tell me what happened yesterday and why? I think, I deserve as much", Naruto could hear Sagi huff on the other end of the line and nodded even though the other man couldn't see him.

"Yeah, sounds good. You know the new Café across from Ichiraku's? Meet me there in twenty?"

"Sounds good to me. See ya then", Sagi replied and ended the call without waiting for Naruto say something else. Well, he was probably really pissed after last night and with good reason.

With that settled Naruto put his phone down and walked into the bathroom to comb his hair again, now that it had dried. It was a wild-goose chase again and after some attempts, Naruto gave up on taming his messy mop of hair. He really didn't need to look 'attractive' to meet with a guy whom he wanted to tell that he was about to get back together with his husband and had only been upset the night before.

Oh God that sounded so horrible. As if he'd only used Sagi to forget about why he felt angry with Sasuke. It was so wrong to even think that!

Shaking his head to get rid of the judging thoughts, he grabbed his keys and phone, remembering that Sasuke would probably return while Naruto was gone and decided not to leave his husband a sticky note, but to text him.

 _Hey, I'm going to meet up with Sagi. Owe him an explanation, I guess. I know you still have your keys – use them and make yourself at home. I'll be back soon_

 _N._

This way Sasuke knew what was going on and could start to unpack his stuff while Naruto was gone and wouldn't have to worry why he'd left.

Nodding to himself, Naruto closed the front door behind his back. It was time to tell Sagi what it was, the man had witnessed last night.

* * *

 **To be continued…**

 **Okay, next chapter we'll meet Sagi again. Ah, yes and the date is bound to come up, isn't it? How do you guys think it will go? Let me know! Also, if there is anything you would like to read in this story, please tell me. I'll try my best to include it. Stay tuned!**


	19. The Shallow in the Deep

**Hey guys**

 **"Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans" – that's the motto of this chapter and my life at the moment. Ten days ago my roommate decided to suddenly quit university and move out… so I was left alone to find me a new roommate… cheers! And guess what? That kept me from writing -.- So yeah, I have a new roommate now and was finally able to finish the chapter…**

 **Someone asked me about a NaruSasu smut scene, and yes, there will be one of course *g* There are still two smut scenes to come and one of them will have Naruto on top, so just be patient :P**

 **An last, thank you all for your support! I really appreciate it! You guys are awesome! Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, if I did, the ending would've been quite different *g* All characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.**

* * *

 **Chapter 19 The Shallow in the Deep**

Precisely twenty-three minutes after Naruto had left his house, he walked into the small café he'd asked Sagi to meet him in. The room was bright and the delicious scent of fresh coffee filled the air. Naruto really couldn't stand the taste, but he loved the smell.

At a small table in the far corner of the room sat Sagi, already waiting for him. He was already sipping at something that looked rather like tea than anything else and didn't bother to wave at Naruto when the man walked into the café. He had every reason to be pissed at him.

"Um… hey", Naruto greeted as his sat down on the opposite of the small round table Sagi had chosen. The man looked up from his tea and his warm, dark eyes met Naruto's, making him swallow.

"Hey, Naruto-san", Sagi replied, the honorific not being lost on Naruto. Apparently Sagi had chosen to put some distance between them by going back to more formal addressing.

Naruto had barely sat down, when the waitress came to take his order – hot chocolate of course – smiling at him in a way that made the baby hairs on his neck stand up. What was it with people suddenly hitting on him now that he was about to get back together with Sasuke, but never once before in the five years he'd spent alone?

"So, what exactly happened yesterday?", Sagi asked, cycling his spoon through the tea just to keep his hands busy.

Swallowing hard, Naruto looked at the man and leaned back in his chair. "Well", he started "Sasuke and I… we've been married for eight years now…".

" _What?_ ", Sagi exclaimed loud enough to make some people around them turn their heads to see where the noise came from.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Yeah, I know it sounds crazy but… You know… we haven't exactly been together all the time. Sasuke… he… left five years ago and I thought that… well… that our marriage was over, but… I just couldn't move on yet". He stopped in his tale when the waitress returned and severed him his chocolate with another, what he supposed should be a sexy smile.

"Thanks", Naruto mouthed politely, but felt secretly happy when she finally disappeared to serve another patron who had just entered the café.

"So, do I get this right, you married eight years ago, but your husband… what was his name again? Sasuke? Yeah… he left, but you never got a divorce in five years? What were you waiting for?", Sagi asked sounding astonished. He'd stopped moving his spoon through his tea and now focused on Naruto.

"Him. He never said that he wanted to break up with me. He just moved to Tokyo from one day to another and never called again. But a part of me still hoped he would come back to me some day with a valid explanation for why he had left in in the first place", Naruto admitted, his cheeks burning. Telling his story to a stranger made it sound all the more ridiculous.

"And you never tried to call him or something?"

"I did but… he changed his number and address… and… everything… he… totally cut me off…"

"Why?"

Naruto sighed, taking a sip from his chocolate to calm down. The soothingly warm liquid filled his stomach making him fell cosier and more relaxed. Sometimes a little chocolate could work miracles.

"Well… I don't know, yet. He never told me actually and… yeah… he didn't exactly come back to Konoha to fix things", Naruto explained, watching Sagi's features change from confusion to slight anger.

"Then why is he here in the first place and what kind of right does he have, to make a scene like that?", the man asked; a deep frown between his brows.

"He… came back to ask for a divorce, but he changed his mind about it", mumbled Naruto, feeling a slight blush on his cheeks. Telling someone who didn't know Sasuke about the whole situation showed, how fucked up it all was.

"Hang on, he came for a divorce and changed his mind? Why?"

At the question, Naruto looked up from the cup he'd been staring at for the past minutes. "Because he loves me".

Sagi blinked at him, but nodded after a while. Naruto's voice had been so sure and steady that he didn't feel like questioning his words even if it sounded rather unbelievable that his husband had, after five years of separation, suddenly decided to that he still loved him.

"I haven't agreed to being together yet… but… we are working on it… and he has always been quite possessive… so when he saw me dance with you… he snapped. He thought I was maybe choosing you over him and he wanted to make sure everyone knew that… well… that I belong to him", Naruto explained further, a strange smile on his face that Sagi found himself unable to read.

"That… makes sense… in a very weird way", Sagi agreed. "You can keep my phone number if you want to. Just as friends. Even if it wasn't for the two of you trying to fix things, it s5till unnerves me how much he looks like me and… I don't want to be a preplacement for him if things don't work out for you".

Naruto swallowed hard. Of course Sagi had seen through it all. Through the very reason, why Naruto had agreed to give him his number in the first place – because he looked like Sasuke. It was true, as shameful as it was. Nobody is perfect and for once, Naruto had done something very selfish and he'd probably hurt Sagi. Now he was just glad that nothing more had happened between them, because the thought of somehow getting together with Sagi, just to have him find out about Sasuke later, made Naruto sick.

"Yeah… It wasn't fair to… I don't know… I didn't intend to… well… start something with you… but your looks were definitely a reason why I gave you my number. I should never have done that. I'm sorry", Naruto replied, taking another sip from his cup, so that he could hide his face behind it.

"It's fine. You're human, and I can tell that your husband is a lucky guy to have someone as loyal as you. Everyone else would long have long given up on him".

"Yeah, I always felt a special connection to him. We've been friends since we were six", Naruto said smiling a little. He felt better now that he realized that Sagi wasn't mad at him, at least not mad enough to never speak a word with him again. "I'm sorry for dragging you into this mess".

Sagi shrugged and smiled. "Sometimes life is strange", he just said and finished his tea. "Thank you for your honesty, Naruto. I really appreciate it, but I have to go now. Class tests are waiting for me at home".

"I understand. Please leave the bill to me, I'll treat you. After all, it's my fault that we're here anyway. So… just have a nice day", said Naruto, feeling quite relieved now.

"Thank you. You too", Sagi replied as he got up and walked out of the café. Naruto however decided to stay for a little while longer and let thinks sink in.

* * *

Barely an hour after Sasuke had left; he was already back at his house. His Lexus parked safely in front of it, he took out his bags. Packing the few things he'd taken with him to Konoha hadn't really taken him long. Gladly, he hadn't met Itachi while he was at the hotel, but he already knew that it wouldn't take long before his brother realized that Sasuke had checked out. But until then, he would just enjoy being back in his old home.

First thing he noticed when he entered the hallway though was Naruto's missing shoes. Apparently he'd gone out while Sasuke had been away and Sasuke wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. Leaving his bags at the entrance, he walked into the kitchen and checked for some kind of message, but found none.

Remembering that Naruto probably wasn't too fond of sticky notes all together, Sasuke pulled his phone out of the jacket he was still wearing (he had only taken off his shoes so far), and found a text from Naruto there.

 _Hey, I'm going to meet up with Sagi. Owe him an explanation, I guess. I know you still have your keys – use them and make yourself at home. I'll be back soon_

 _N._

Well, Sasuke had thought of the part with the keys himself, but that didn't help against the rush of jealousy that caused through his veins at the thought of Naruto meeting up with that Sagi-guy. It was outright creepy how much the man looked like Sasuke and Naruto having any contact with him made the baby hairs on Sasuke's neck stand on edge. He'd always been a possessive bastard.

Stifling a growl that threatened to leave his throat, Sasuke put away his phone. Last time he'd let his jealousy get the better of him, he'd thought he'd lost Naruto over his rash actions and even if it had ended with them having sex, he couldn't hope for things turning out like that again. He had to keep his shit together and trust Naruto to do the right thing.

To be honest, Naruto was right that somehow this Sagi-guy deserved an explanation and Sasuke would have to accept that without making a fuss. So instead of being angry, he decided to take his bags into the guestroom and get settled.

Back when they had bought the house, he and Naruto had fortunately decided to furnish the guestroom with a drawer instead of letting their guests live out of their suitcases. Today, Sasuke was very thankful for that because he hated how his shirts would all get crinkled if left in a suitcase for too long.

However, even after he'd put his clothes into the drawer, Naruto hadn't come home and even if Sasuke didn't want to, he started to feel anxious. He'd fucked up big time when he'd left and now he feared that maybe Naruto would see something in Sagi that made him reconsider. With another man, he would be able to start over, without a painful past to cope with. A new beginning filled with positive feelings instead of all the shit Sasuke had done to him.

Of course they'd had sex last night, but what did that mean really? People had meaningless sex all the time, with people whose name they didn't even know and much less cared about, just to distract themselves from their pitiful lives. Was that what had happened between him and Naruto last night? A quick fuck to get the tension out and then move on?

Sasuke felt his throat tighten at the thought, making it hard to breath. No, he wouldn't let his imagination go rampart. All his life he had trusted Naruto and now was not the time to start questioning him. He would have to be patient and wait for his husband to come home, even if the already familiar jealousy started to gnaw at his guts.

Ten minutes later, Sasuke stood in the kitchen with a steaming cup of tea in front of him, to sooth his nerves and forget about all the anxieties he felt when thinking about what Naruto could be doing with Sagi right now, or what Sagi could say to him, to convince him that Sasuke wasn't worth another chance. But… hadn't Naruto already agreed to let Sasuke back into his life? He wouldn't lie and he wouldn't just change his mind simply because some guy he barely knew, told him to.

It was time to get his mind off of Naruto and distract himself with something else, Sasuke decided and reached for the newspaper on the table. The _Konoha Weekly_ wasn't exactly _The Guardian_ , but also not as bad as most yellow press papers.

He quickly scanned several articles, some about recent political changes, like the US elections where people got to choose between either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton, both of them an equally bad choice, until he reached the local news. Apparently there was a guy out there who abducted children from foster families and the police had still now clue who he was or why he had access to the files of the children because never once had he taken a child from a functioning family.

A few years back Naruto could very well have been one of those children, when he'd gone from one foster home to the next, Sasuke and Itachi being the only steady contacts he kept aside from school. No one but them would have missed Naruto if he'd gone missing at the same age as those victims were, and so far all of them had tuned up dead. The cause of death however was kept secret by the police, meaning it was either too bad to let the public know or there was something so unique about the killing that it might inspire copycats. Probably both…

Sasuke had just reached the end of the article when he heard the key being turned in the lock and looked up from the newspaper when Naruto entered the room, running a hand through his blond hair as he sat down opposite of him.

"Hey, you got everything?", he asked, his fingertips outlining the edge of the table while he spoke.

"Yeah, I put all my stuff into the drawer in the guestroom. How… how was your talk with Sagi?"

Naruto looked up from the table and into Sasuke's onyx eyes. He could see the slight jealousy in the dark orbs, but apparently Sasuke did his best not to let his emotions take over this time and stayed calm and composed instead, which Naruto really appreciated. He knew how possessive his husband could be and what great a deal it was for him not to act on impulse this time. "It was fine. Sagi understands what happens and will keep his distance from now on… but… he wants to be friends", Naruto explained without looking away.

It was only natural that Sasuke wouldn't be too happy about Sagi asking for friendship, but if he wanted to fix things, he had to respect Naruto's wishes and choices.

"Friends?", Sasuke asked, swallowing hard. Hell, how much he wanted to tell the guy leave Naruto alone, but he had no right to do that. It would only result in a falling-out between him and Naruto, and that was the last thing Sasuke aimed for.

"Yeah. Just friends. Nothing more. You trust me, right?", one blond eyebrow was raised while Naruto spoke and watched Sasuke's face intently for any signs of what the other man was thinking. He half expected him to say 'no' but instead Sasuke nodded.

"Yes, I trust you. I still don't trust Sagi though. But… if you say it is alright to be friends with him… then that's good enough for me".

Slowly the smile spread across Naruto's face and he felt his heart grow fonder. Sasuke hadn't put up a fight and was willing to do this by Naruto's rules instead of being his stubborn self. "Thank you… I'm glad you said that…".

"I told you, I can change. I love you Naruto, and I will do everything necessary to win you over", Sasuke said, his dark eyes holding Naruto's gaze. A few more days and he would finally tell him the truth. That would be the end of all their troubles and make him understand, why Sasuke had left and how hard it had been, to leave his love behind to keep him save. With the circumstances changed that wasn't needed anymore. Maybe, Sasuke should go and thank Gaara for opening that dojo with Naruto.

"I know… I… love you as well… I want things to get… well again", Naruto answered, the smile still in place as his reached for Sasuke's hand on the table and laced their fingers together.

Both men looked at their joined hands, appreciating the moment of closeness in silence, until Naruto spoke again. "By the way… Itachi called me on the way home. Apparently you didn't tell him that you were moving here?", Naruto said after a while. His voice sounded amused and relaxed, while their hands remained entwined on the table.

Sasuke tightened his grip slightly. Mesmerized by the feeling of Naruto's soft skin against his own. Even with their nocturnal activities from the night before, this simple gesture made his heart race. Naruto's skin was warm and soft and Sasuke gently ran his thump over the small knuckles, feeling the texture under his fingertip. "No, I didn't tell him yet. Guess he's annoyed with me again?".

"Rather amused", Naruto said with a smile. "I guess he'll show up soon and want to talk to you".

"Yeah, well… he's always been a little overprotective… but he's given you his blessing long ago, so no need to hide from brotherly wrath for stealing my heart", Sasuke replied, making Naruto laugh.

"Good to know, princess, but you should probably call him", Naruto replied with a wink and Sasuke started to smile. The whole situation felt so natural and easy, it seemed almost impossible that there was still that huge gap between them. They weren't back to together, but it sure felt like it.

* * *

The following five days went by in a blur for Sasuke as they settled for a very comfortable rhythm in their life together. Of course they still had separated bedrooms, but they spent their meals together as much as possible, with Sasuke visiting Naruto at the dojo to take him out for lunch. The atmosphere was relaxed and they both felt quite comfortable around each other, which made Sasuke confident enough to steal a few sweet kisses whenever he got the change to.

To be honest, it felt a bit like teenage dating, but neither of them minded.

After the pain and suffering they'd gone through, it really was a good thing to let things grow at a slower pace and get comfortable around each other again. Now they knew how easy it was for them to fall back into their old rhythm around one another, because that was just their natural way of working together.

Talking to Itachi had unsurprisingly been a pain in the ass, as Sasuke had been teased by his brother throughout the entire phone call, with Itachi telling him in the end that their father started to get quite impatient with their absence and Itachi would not be able to hold him off forever. Needless to say that had only increased the pressure on Sasuke, but he hadn't been foolish enough to try and rush Naruto into things, which he was glad of by the end of the week.

On Wednesday, Kiba had returned from his honeymoon and come to visit them with a quite appreciative grin on his round face when he realized that Sasuke had moved back in. Although the two of them had never been as close as Kiba and Naruto were, they'd still known each other for a long time and Kiba had been quite sure that Sasuke still harboured feelings for Naruto. And seeing them in the process of getting back together made Kiba ridiculously happy for their sake.

By Friday morning, Fugaku had called thrice and Karin had sent several pictures of whatever she was currently choosing for the engagement party that would never happen. Sasuke had been close to telling her the truth a few times, but caution had kept him from doing so. Once he told Karin that the wedding was off the table, Fugaku would come storming to Konoha and that had to be prevented until Naruto knew the truth and was ready to face off his enraged father-in-law.

Therefore, Sasuke had again told Fugaku some story about legal formalities taking longer than expected, but that he and Itachi would be back in time for the announcement.

Other than that however, life went pretty smooth together and Sasuke also became even more relaxed around Konohamaru, who visited frequently because Hiruzen still wasn't doing better and had to stay in bed. Ever since his conversation with Itachi about how Sasuke had to accept all the new parts of Naruto's life, he'd done his best to get along with the energetic child from across the street and he had to admit that the boy really was charming.

Sometimes a bit loud and overwhelming, but so had been Naruto at the same age and Sasuke had been his best friend none the less, so why being bothered by Konohamaru?

Instead, Sasuke treasured the moments he could spent with both, his husband and the boy, during shared dinners and TV evenings. Only Friday night would Konohamaru have to stay at his own house, but the boy didn't seem to mind. He'd have training with Naruto in the afternoon and then go home with him.

It was early afternoon on Friday when Sasuke closed his notebook and decided to visit Naruto at the dojo instead of doing something meaningless for the UNB. He had enjoyed seeing his husband spar that one time when he'd brought him the divorce papers – a day that now felt like a thousand years ago.

Half an hour later, Naruto looked up from where his disciples where fighting each other in pairs, trying a new move they'd just learned a few days before, only to find his extremely handsome husband leaning against the door frame, onyx eyes locked on Naruto as he moved around the children, correcting their stance and movement.

A smile graced Naruto's lips and he walked up to the stoic man at the entrance. "What are you doing here?", he asked, sounding unmistakably pleased.

Sasuke of course looked as aloof as always, his Uchiha mask firmly in place in such a public place, but Naruto didn't mind. His husband had always been like this and he loved him for being a prissy bastard at times.

"I wanted to see you at work", Sasuke replied, his eyes roaming over Naruto's body. The orange tank top and black shorts he wore did little to cover the lean muscles that lay underneath the sun kissed skin and Sasuke had to fight the urge to run his fingers over the hard planes. Maybe it hadn't been the best idea to come here, at least not when he didn't want to be caught sporting a hard-on in public.

Naruto however, as observant as he was when it came to such things, realized Sasuke's predicament and started to grin while his eyes were sparkling with excitement. He had always considered it funny, to tease his husband. "Is that so? Well, then I better get you something to watch", Naruto said, not even trying to hide the amusement in his voice. "Oi, Ishida", he yelled and a blond teenage boy with rather spiky hair looked up from his sparring partner.

"Yes, sensei?", he asked, walking over to where Naruto and Sasuke stood. He had dark blue eyes and his expression was rather stoic, the blond eyebrows furrowed in slight annoyance at being interrupted.

"Let Yagami take a break. You're going to spar with me now", Naruto announced and flashed Sasuke another grin over his shoulder before he escorted his disciple back to the workout mat and got into sparring position.

Sasuke knew that Naruto was doing that on purpose to turn him on, but it worked nonetheless. Watching those toned muscles move under the skin made Sasuke itch with the need to touch, feel and lick. He knew exactly how Naruto's body would move in the moment of ecstasy and it wasn't so much different from what he saw now.

A shiver ran down his spine and he started to sweat while he watched Naruto fight his obviously well trained student, who was able dodge a few of Naruto's attacks and deliver some almost hits as well. The boy was maybe sixteen or seventeen and had obviously been into martial arts for quite some time already. However, watching his husband's tights ass and toned shoulders being worked in front of him, made it hard for Sasuke to focus on anything other than that and by the time the two males ended their sparring, he had to sit down on a bench and cross his legs to hide the obvious interest of his lower regions.

"Like what you saw?", Naruto asked, panting slightly as he sat down next to Sasuke, his face flushed and skin covered by a light sheen of sweat. Sasuke's throat went dry just from looking at his husband, but instead of letting Naruto win this little game, Sasuke smirked at him.

"You wish, dobe".

Naruto laughed wholeheartedly and wrapped his arms around Sasuke's shoulders, bringing him closer, just like he'd done when they were teenagers and Sasuke leaned into the warm embrace, welcoming Naruto's inviting personality and his need to be clingy sometimes. "Yeah, I totally know, you ogled my ass, but it's okay", he laughed.

"Hn"

"You know that's not even a word".

"You're not the master of speech either", Sasuke replied and got up from the bench. It was getting late and he really wanted to take a shower and get ready before his husband came home, so Naruto could dress up for their date properly without Sasuke being in the way. "I should get going. See you in a few?".

Naruto nodded, still grinning happily. "Yeah, I'll finish this lesson, take Konohamaru home and then come home to get ready for tonight".

Sasuke smiled a little and leaned in to steal one quick kiss, not really caring if any of Naruto's students would see them. A faint pink dusted over Naruto's cheeks after they broke apart and he rubbed the back of his head, looking around if anyone had seen, but apparently all teenagers in the room were too occupied with their sparring partners to care for their sensei's activities.

"Have fun, dobe", Sasuke said, turning to leave the gym, while Naruto watched him in slight amusement. It was somehow cute, how much Sasuke tried to win him back and did everything to show his affection even if he usually wasn't good with emotional stuff. Over the course of the week, Sasuke had been considerate and attentive, especially when it came to the small things in their everyday life, like taking care of the laundry, cooking or just surprising Naruto with his favourite movie after a long day of work.

Naruto had to admit that more than once he'd felt all warm and fuzzy inside around Sasuke and he really wanted fix this, however at night, when he lay in his bed and sleep wouldn't instantly come to him, his imagination would run wild with scenarios of what could go wrong. Yesterday he'd even woken up drenched in sweat after dreaming that as soon as he'd been back to trusting Sasuke, the man had shown up on their doorstep with his fiancé from Tokyo, just to mock Naruto for his stupidity of trusting him.

Even after he'd realized that it was nothing more and a bad dream, the bitter feeling had remained and Naruto had been unable to find proper rest that night. It was silly to think like that, he knew it, but the anxiety just wouldn't go away and he sincerely hoped that all his fears would just evaporate after tonight.

An hour later, Naruto left the dojo with Konohamaru, locking the front door and gates, because Gaara had already gone home early that day. All the other students had either gone home or been picked up by their parents by now and there was no need for Naruto to linger longer than necessary.

"I'm all done with my homework, Naruto nii-chan!", Konohamaru said with a grin that showed the missing incisor he'd lost a few days ago.

"Very good. I put some sandwiches into the fridge at your house this morning when I picked you up, make sure to eat them, okay buddy? Not only candy!", Naruto instructed while he opened the car door for the boy to get in.

"I will. Thank you Naruto nii-chan", Konohamaru nodded enthusiastically and put the seatbelt on.

"Good. It's Saturday tomorrow, so you can just come over when you feel hungry".

"Naruto-nii? When will ojii-chan be better?", the boy asked from behind Naruto's back as soon as they drove away from the dojo.

"I can't know that for sure, but I guess he'll be fine soon. Just needs a few more days to gather his strength and then he'll be able to play with you again", Naruto answered, knowing that Hiruzen wasn't really getting better at the moment, but he didn't want to tell Konohamaru that.

They spent the drive back home with the boy chatting about this and that while Naruto's mind was already thinking about his evening with Sasuke and that he'd hopefully be able to fully trust him, once he knew the whole story of what had happened.

However, as soon as his car rounded the corner of their street, all thoughts about dates and restaurants where instantly wiped from his mind. There, in front of their house stood an ambulance. It's red and blue lights illuminating the dark street with eerie light , while paramedics were running in all directions. For a brief second Naruto's heart stopped and he pulled his car to the side.

"You wait here. I'm going to check on this", he told Konohamaru and left the car.

The doors of the ambulance were open and he could see, even from this far, that the patient was already in there, but he couldn't make out who it was. Panic settled in his stomach. It couldn't be Sasuke, could it?

Naruto quickly jogged down the street and walked up to one of the paramedics.

"Excuse me, sir", he half yelled from a few meters away.

"Yes?", the man said, tuning towards him and it was now that Naruto realized that the ambulance stood closer to the Sarutobi house.

"Did something happen to Sarutobi-san?", he asked, suddenly fearing for the old man's life. What would Konohamaru do if his grandpa died?

"Are you a relative of his?", the paramedic asked, his dark brows furrowed.

Naruto shook his head. "Ah, no. But Sarutobi-san's grandson is with me. I'm Uzumaki-san, I live next door and Sarutobi Konohamaru is a student of mine. I sometimes babysit the boy when it's necessary", he explained, hoping that he'd get some information out of the man.

"I understand. Well… It appears that Sarutobi-san passed out in the garden. One of your neighbours found him. He's unconscious at the moment and we're taking him to Konoha General. If you want, you can follow. Can you give us the contact details of Sarutobi-san's relatives?", the paramedic took a small notepad out of his pocket and looked at Naruto expectantly.

"Unfortunately not. Konohamaru's parents died some years ago and Sarutobi-san's other son Asuma lives overseas. But I'll follow you to the hospital with Konohamaru", Naruto answered and the man nodded at him.

"Good. I have to go now".

Feeling slightly sick, Naruto walked back to his car, quickly typing a text for Sasuke to tell him that their date had to be postponed because Hiruzen was being taken to the hospital and Naruto would follow the ambulance with his car and then wait with Konohamaru until they got new information.

The drive to Konoha General only took him a few minutes because they lived quite close to the hospital and half an hour after they'd come home, Naruto and Konohamaru were seated in the waiting area of the emergency department while Hiruzen was being treated in the trauma room. So far they had no idea what exactly had happened and if the old man would get well again.

Konohamaru had been crying ever since Naruto had returned to the car with the bad news and by now the boy was half sitting on Naruto's lap, crying against the older man's shoulder. And who could blame him? Aside from his grandfather, Konohamaru had almost no family left. Asuma and his wife Kurenai had moved to Europe years ago and Konohamaru's parents were dead.

Whispering reassuring words to the boy, Naruto tried to calm him and give him hope, but deep down, he also feared that maybe Hiruzen wouldn't make it through the night.

He didn't know how long they'd been sitting there in the waiting area, with people coming and going, hoping for some news each time a doctor entered the room only to feel the disappointment when they left again. Suddenly the door opened and Naruto didn't even bother to look up anymore until he felt one strong arm warped around his shoulder, while the other pressed Konohamaru's body closer to him.

"Sasuke nii-chan", the boy sobbed scooting to the right to be embraced by both men and Naruto finally looked at the person who'd taken the seat next to him and met worried dark eyes.

"You're here…", he whispered, placing his head on Sasuke's shoulders and feeling the tension partly leave his body, now that he knew he wasn't alone in moments like these. Sasuke had really come to stand by his side and support him.

"Of course I'm here, dobe. No way in hell, I'm going to let you go through this all alone", he said and placed a kiss on blond locks.

He had promised to be there for Naruto when he needed him and now was the time to prove that those had not been just empty words.

* * *

 **To be continued…**

 **Okay, this didn't go the way you expected? Well, have a look at my quote in the notes at the beginning and you know why XD Just to make it clear, this is not a child fic and they're not going to adopt Konohamaru. This turn of events serves a different matter entirely. What exactly will be revealed in the next chapter, so stay tuned!**


	20. The Divided in the Shared

**Wuhu! This chapter is early! *-* I'm so glad I didn't have to keep you waiting for this! However, I have to admit that originally I planned this chapter to be a bit different, but it would have just gotten too long, so that I decided to split it. This is the first half of it. The second part is already half way written and will probably be up in a week or so. Even though this is only the prelude to what is going to happen in the second part, I hope you'll enjoy it!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, if I did, the ending would've been quite different *g* All characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.**

* * *

 **Chapter 20 The Divided in the Shared**

Hours had passed since Hiruzen had been brought to Konoha General and the three men waiting for him had yet to hear any news. So far, no doctor had known about the old man's condition and it was now well past midnight.

Sometime around eleven, Konohamaru had fallen asleep with his head on Naruto's shoulder, his eyes red and puffy from crying and even now the boy tensed in his sleep every now and then. Naruto's back was stiff and his shoulders started to hurt while he sipped at his second coffee Sasuke had just bought at the vending machine close by. Desperate times called for desperate measures and even Naruto couldn't say no to a coffee at a night like this.

"Sasuke?", he said, placing the paper cup on a small table next to the bench he sat on and looking up at his husband, who had been glaring at the door to the waiting area for the past thirty minutes.

Sasuke slowly turned his head, looking at Naruto, his dark eyes unreadable in the artificial fluorescent light. "Hm?", was all he managed, his patience running thin. Sasuke had half a mind to just walk up to the poor nurse who had to work the nightshift there, and demand to speak to someone who had any news about Sarutobi-san.

"Could you take Konohamaru home? He's dead on his feet. I'll wait here for news, so you and him can get some rest", Naruto said, running a hand through Konohamaru's dark brown hair.

Sasuke furrowed his brows and shook his head in determination. The hell would he leave his husband alone in situation like this, especially when he knew how much Naruto hated hospitals. "No way. We're staying here", he answered, the tone of his voice making sure that his opinion on the matter was not open for discussion.

"But-", Naruto started, only to be shut up by one of Sasuke's glares that unmistakably said there was nothing to talk about.

"I'm going to call Itachi and fetch some blankets from my car for Konohamaru to sleep under", Sasuke said, rising from his chair. Naruto simply nodded at him, far too tired to argue. He knew when Sasuke was in 'professional mode' and it seemed a stressful situation like this put him exactly there. He would do anything within his power to work towards a perfect ending for this night, even if most of it was well beyond his reach. But Naruto was grateful for his support and relieved by the thought that he wouldn't have to deal with all this shit on his own.

Outside the building, Sasuke took out his phone and called his brother. He would probably wake him up, but for once he didn't care about that.

"Sasuke?", a slightly tired sounding Itachi asked a few seconds later. "Did something happen?".

"Yeah, it actually did. Konohamaru's grandfather had to be taken to the hospital tonight and we're still waiting for any news on his condition. I know it's late, but… would you mind helping us out with a few sandwiches or something? It's probably going to be a long night", Sasuke explained, unusually wordy, holding the phone to his ear with his shoulder while he opened the trunk of his car to fetch the blankets.

Mikoto had given them to him when he'd bought the car, in case the car would break down right out in the sticks in the middle of a cold winter and Sasuke would need something to keep warm. Well, at least they came in handy now.

"You are waiting with Naruto and the boy for news of his grandfather?", Itachi asked a little astonished. Sasuke could hear rustling in the background and assumed that his brother was in the process of getting out of bed again. Itachi had always been early to go to bed and equally early to rise. Calling him at half past twelve probably felt like the middle of the night to him.

"Yeah, I am. So, are you going to help us out here or not?", Sasuke asked a little annoyed at his brother while he took the phone back into his hand and tucked the blankets under his armpit.

"Which hospital?", Itachi said, and judging by the new background sounds, he had started to rummage through the cupboards of his hotel room in search of something he could use to prepare food with.

"Konoha General. We're in the waiting area"

"Good. I have to go to the 24/7, but I'll make sure to be there as soon as possible. Oh and Sasuke?", he said with a hint of strange amusement in his voice. "You're doing the right thing".

"Hn", Sasuke replied, knowing it would be enough for Itachi and ended the call as not to let Naruto wait alone any longer.

An hour later Konohamaru was sleeping on a bench covered by the blankets Sasuke had brought, while the two adults still waited for news, when Itachi finally walked through the door. He sat the bag he'd been holding onto the small table that was otherwise crowded with magazines for people to read while waiting.

Who in their right mind had the patience to read magazines when waiting for news in the emergency department?

"Here are some sandwiches and tea", Itachi said, glancing over at the sleeping form of Konohamaru, and then back to Naruto. "Any news?".

Naruto shook his head and took a sandwich from Sasuke, who had already started unpacking because neither of them had properly eaten that day and even if he didn't feel exactly hungry, he knew they'd all need the energy. "No, not yet. It's been hours really… But no one can tell us anything", a sigh escaped Naruto's lips.

He unwrapped the sandwich and looked at it for a moment. Grilled vegetables and cheddar. Well, even if it had been tuna (and Naruto really couldn't stand tuna) he would have eaten it tonight anyway.

"I see", Itachi replied, closing his eyes. "Anything else you need?".

Naruto shared a glance with Sasuke. He had half a mind to tell Itachi to take Konohamaru home, but he knew how scared he'd been around strangers at the same age and even if man and boy had met once, it wouldn't do Konohamaru good to wake up somewhere, where he hadn't fallen asleep and being watched over by a man he barely knew.

"No thanks. We're good", Sasuke said, still eyeing his sandwich without taking a bite.

Itachi nodded before he looked from one man to the other, obviously hinting at how well they handled this difficult situation together. They'd always been a winning team and their dynamics were great even after a long time of separation. However, Sasuke's older brother was well mannered enough not to tease the two about their obvious attraction in a situation like this. There would be plenty of opportunities in the future.

"Okay. Call me, if you need anything", he said, finally turning to leave.

Naruto sighed. He knew, Itachi could read him like an open book, even more than Sasuke could, but the man had been considerate enough not to tell Sasuke that Naruto had already fallen even deeper in love with his husband than ever before. During the last week Sasuke had proven his words to be true over and over again and as soon as the last obstacle would be out of the way (which were obviously Naruto's trust issues), they'd be able resume their almost broken marriage.

Half way through their sandwiches, the door opened again, this time revealing a doctor in lime green scrubs, his surgical mask pulled down over his chin, where it rested against his collarbone. Dark, tired looking eyes scanned the room before he looked at the clipboard in his hand. "Any relatives of Sarutobi Hiruzen?", he asked, his voice a little hoarse.

Naruto and Sasuke both got up from their seats, putting the sandwiches back into the bag before they bowed in front of the doctor. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto", Naruto explained and then pointed at the still sleeping Konohamaru. "And this is Sarutobi Konohamaru, Sarutobi-san's grandson. Can you tell us anything about the old man's condition?".

The doctor briefly looked at Konohamaru and raised both eyebrows while he scanned Naruto's from, obviously judging the blond man in front of him. "No. I can't. Only to Konohamaru-kun personally", he replied sounding quite annoyed.

Nervously, Naruto shifted from one foot to the other. He'd never been good when it came to persuading people. In the past he'd only gotten what he wanted by being a persistent pain in the ass, but he feared that this strategy wasn't going to work with the dark haired doctor. Those were the times when Naruto wished for Sasuke's skill and his ruthless intelligence.

"I don't want to wake him up honestly… He's had a rough day… can't you just tell me?", Naruto tried to reason with the man, but knew he'd failed the moment the words had left his lips.

"No, Uzumaki-san that's not possible", he answered slightly annoyed.

"Listen, Dr.-", Sasuke looked at the nametag the man was wearing "Kido. I happen to know your boss pretty well and once I call her, and tell her that you held information back from Jiraiya-sensei's disciple, she'll be furious and have your head for it. That makes it easy doesn't it? You can either tell Naruto all he wants to know, or I'll personally call Tsunade", Sasuke threatened, angered by the way the doctor talked to Naruto.

It had been a common problem during their childhood days that people tended to be rude to Naruto because of his exotic looks. In Japan, mixed race people where often looked down on and even if neither Sasuke nor Naruto knew who his parents really were, most people just assumed that a boy with blond hair and blue eye's had to have foreign parents.

"W-Who are you?", Kido suddenly stuttered, taking a step back to bring more distance between himself and Sasuke.

"Uchiha Sasuke. But that doesn't matter. You shouldn't be afraid of me, but of him", he pointed into Naruto's direction. "As far as I know, your boss, Tsunade, doesn't like people to fuck with her godson and if you don't want to cross her, you don't want to cross Naruto". Dark eyes bore into light brown ones and the doctor, suddenly gone pale, nodded.

"O-of course not. Please excuse my behaviour, Uzumaki-san. I didn't know you were Tsunade-sama's godson", the doctor fumbled with the seam of his lime green scrub as he spoke.

"How you treat someone shouldn't depend on whose son or godson someone is", Naruto criticised, his blond brows furrowed in anger. He had always hated such behaviour, not only because he had been in the losing team in such cases, but also because especially Sasuke and Itachi, who both descended from one of the most powerful families in Japan, had never judged anyone by their name. Sasuke had never given anyone any credit if he hadn't deserved it and he'd been brutally honest with everyone, no matter their last name.

If two of the wealthiest people could act like that, then why couldn't everyone else?

"I apologize", Kido said, bowing his head in front of Naruto, who still didn't like the man one bit. But he had to cooperate if he wanted to know more about Hiruzen's condition and then finally get home.

"Fine. Apology accepted. Now, how is the old man doing?", Naruto said, impatiently tapping his right foot, which made the anyway nervous doctor flinch.

"Sarutobi-san suffered from a lung embolism. He must have been unconscious for quite a while before he was found and rushed to the hospital because parts of the lung tissue were already tuning necrotic. We had to surgically remove those parts but there is of course enough tissue left for him to breathe normally once he gets better. However, there has been a sever lack of oxygen transported to his brain and so far we don't know if that will leave any permanent damage. It took us a while to get him stable, but if he makes it through the rest of the night, we're sure that he'll pull through", Kido explained, obviously falling into 'work-mode', which both Naruto and Sasuke appreciated.

"I understand. When will Konohamaru be allowed to visit his grandfather?", Naruto asked, more calmly now than before. Those were horrible news, but he was determined not to let it show how much it affected him before he was safe in his dark bedroom.

"If he makes it through the night, there is no reason why he shouldn't visit him as soon as visiting hours start. Tonight however, I'm afraid it won't be possible".

Naruto shared a glance with Sasuke. They were both tired and needed some rest. "Thank you. We will come back in the morning", he said and respectfully bowed in front of the man, who darted off as soon as he could, undoubtedly glad to get away from them.

"Thanks… for your help…", Naruto breathed, walking towards Sasuke so they stood only inches apart from each other. They were both in a desolate state, with dark bags under their eyes and messy hair. It was time to get Konohamaru to their house and then catch up on a few hours of sleep.

"I can stay on the sofa tonight", Sasuke whispered, being close enough for Naruto to hear anyway.

"No… you… can stay with me. We can share our bed. If we want this to work, we'll be sleeping together soon anyway", Naruto answered with a small smile, realizing that now as he spoke the words and actually embraced the thought, it was a quite pleasant one. He was really looking forward to sharing a bed with Sasuke again.

Not for the sake of sex or something, but rather because of the safety and steadiness Sasuke's proximity promised. They'd shared beds for as long as they could think, first as friends, then as lovers and later even as husbands. Sasuke was the one person Naruto felt safe around and waking up next to him was a tempting idea.

"Are you sure? These are not the best circumstances… I don't want you to regret anything later…", Sasuke said, closing his eyes. God, how stupid was he really? Every other man on the planet would have just welcomed the thought of being invited into his crushes bed, even if the intentions were absolutely innocent, but he of course had to make sure that Naruto really wanted him and would probably ruin his unique chance.

"No, it's okay really. I wouldn't have offered. Now, let's get Konohamaru and get back home", Naruto smiled again and took a step forward to place a kiss on Sasuke's cheek before he winked and walked over to Konohamaru, picking the sleeping child up. If he could prevent it, he wouldn't wake the boy from his slumber.

An hour later, Naruto had finally taken a shower and changed into fresh boxers and a tee to sleep in. By now it was almost 3 am and he felt more exhausted then he had in weeks. He still couldn't wrap his mind around how close Hiruzen had come to dying today and the thought that it could very well happen anytime, left Naruto numb and hollow.

Konohamaru had slept through their entire ride home and not even woken when Naruto had put him into bed in the guestroom. He and Sasuke had agreed on telling the boy about his grandfather in the morning and then go back to the hospital to visit him. The 'if he made it through the night' hung heavily between them but neither felt ready to really think about that possibility. It was a bit like Schrödinger's cat… as long as you don't see it… the cat's not dead.

"You okay?", Sasuke asked, sitting on the edge of his side of the bed while taking off his dark blue V-neck pullover. He'd looked even more handsome tonight and Naruto would really have appreciated it if their date had actually happened.

"Yeah, I guess I'm fine. It's… just been a long day", Naruto answered with a small almost sad smile as he slid under the duvet and looked at Sasuke who hadn't moved yet.

"You think he'll make it?", he asked without looking at the man next to him, but out of the window instead.

"He has to. Can't let Konohamaru alone like this".

Sasuke slowly turned, crawling under the duvet himself and looked at Naruto. His dark eyes didn't betray his thoughts but Naruto didn't need them to. They had knowns each other long enough to know what was going through their mind. "Konohamaru will not end up alone. No matter what happens", Sasuke finally said, without pity or regret. He'd never been a person to say nice things just for the sake of comfort. He wouldn't hurt Naruto on purpose but also wouldn't lie to him only to make things easier. You couldn't expect sugar coated words from an Uchiha.

"Yeah. I'll take care of him… until Hiruzen is well enough to leave the hospital…", Naruto said, avoiding the topic of what would happen if the old man never made it through the night.

Sasuke just nodded into the darkness before he turned around, his back to Naruto, who shot him a sideward glance and smiled again. It was nice to see that Sasuke tried to do the right thing and give him space until Naruto himself asked for proximity. And honestly? He had never been a guy who needed to be comforted. Even as a child he hadn't gone to anyone if he'd gotten his knees bloody or later beaten up older students.

Naturally, Itachi and Sasuke had always found out about it and somehow no matter who had beaten the shit out of Naruto, each group had only done it once and never again. Only later had it occurred to him that maybe Itachi had something to do with this strange coincidence, but Naruto had never confronted him about it.

Now, laying in the darkness with Sasuke's breaths slowly evening out next to him as the man fell asleep, it felt like no time had passed at all since that morning five years ago, when Naruto had woken up with Sasuke's mouth around his dick and had later come home to a strange sticky note that he had no idea would be the last thing he heard from his husband in many long years.

It was somehow strange and yet… comfortable and nice… to share their bed again. Not the way they had a week ago, when passion and longing had taken over, but as a conscious decision. Sleep didn't come to him for quite a while that night, but it didn't matter, from now on, Naruto was sure, things could only get better.

* * *

"Brat, what are you doing here?", Tsunade asked, her blond eyebrows raised at Naruto, while she consistently ignored Sasuke and Konohamaru.

The trio had arrived at the hospital some fifteen minutes prior and asked to be allowed to visit Sarutobi Hiruzen. However, as soon as they'd entered the CCU they'd found their way blocked by none other than Senju Tsunade, Jiraiya's widow and Naruto's self-declared godmother, who could scare a man to death with one glance.

"Ba-chan!", Naruto exclaimed, relieved to see her and completely ignoring the twitching of her blond eyebrows at the nickname. No one except for Naruto would ever dare to call her 'granny', but the obnoxious boy had never been afraid of her in the first place and given her that name the first time they'd met. Since that day the two had bickered with each other whenever possible, but in the end Tsunade had always given into what Naruto wanted. "I'm so glad to see you! We're here to visit Sarutobi-san. This is Konohamaru, his grandson and one of my students".

Tsunade looked from the young man to the boy at his side, but still ignored Sasuke, who guessed that he should just be happy that all she did was to pretend he didn't exist, because once she acknowledged his presence, she would break his bones for leaving Naruto. "I see. Well, go ahead. You have twenty minutes. But you", she now focused on Sasuke with her honey coloured eyes "To you, I want to talk in private; if you don't mind".

Sasuke shared a glance with Naruto, wordlessly telling him that he didn't have to worry even though his heart had just maybe sunken into the ground at the thought of being alone with that scary woman. However, he didn't want to keep Konohamaru from his grandfather any longer. The boy hadn't exactly been thrilled to hear what had happened, and even if the old man had made it through the night and was likely to completely recover, the boy was still shaken to the core from the mere thought of maybe losing his beloved ojii-chan.

"I don't mind having a little chat", Sasuke said, his voice deprived of any emotion and his face schooled into the cool Uchiha mask. He wouldn't let her get under his skin.

Naruto huffed a little, but otherwise remained silent when he put a hand on Konohamaru's shoulder and guided him towards the room his grandfather was being treated in.

"So, you're back?", Tsunade asked, not bothering with casual courtesies, when she turned fully towards him and crossed her arms under her large breasts. Her brows were furrowed and she kept tapping the floor with her right foot, the heels of her shoes making a strange clicking sound.

"Yes, I'm back", Sasuke answered coolly. His dark eyes were fixed on the woman in front of him and he knew she was judging him as well as waiting for him to further explain, but he found himself unwilling to do so if she didn't ask for it. Uchiha Sasuke had never been talkative.

"Why? Are you back two back together? Are you 'a thing' again?", it was easy to tell that the older woman's patience was already running thin. She had never been an exactly calm person and dealing with people who enjoyed to play little mind games made her want to punch right through them. Maybe that had been her problem with Sasuke from the beginning, as she had never been exactly fond of him, but had nonetheless accepted Naruto's decision.

"No we're not. Not yet", the reply was as short as the one before and Sasuke was sure that soon Tsunade's temper would become problematic, but he just didn't like discussing private matters with people he barely knew in the corridors of public places where everyone could hear them.

"Stop avoiding me, boy. Why are you here? What do you want from Naruto? Haven't you done enough damage already?", her left eyebrow twitched again and Sasuke knew Tsunade well enough to realize that he was walking on thin ice already. The woman did not only have a hot temper but almost freakish strength as well. She might not look like it, but she had been quite into martial arts herself in the past and won several prizes

Sasuke sighed. He really didn't feel like talking to her, but he also knew that his usual Uchiha-attitude wouldn't get him anywhere with her. "What do want to hear?", he asked back, shoving his hands into the pockets of his pants. "That I fucked up big? I know that. I'm here to make it up to him. To win him back. I made a mistake and now I want to make things right. Happy now?".

Tsunade considered his words for a moment so long that Sasuke already thought she wasn't going to say anything. Her honey coloured eyes gave him the once over, but the tapping stopped and with it, thank God, the clicking of her heels. After a while, the tension seemed to leave the older woman's shoulders and she closed her eyes briefly, taking a deep breath. "No, not at all. Sit down, I want to tell you something". She motioned towards one of the benches by the wall and sat down herself.

Sasuke took the seat next to her and turned his body to face Tsunade. "What do you want to tell me?", he asked.

"About the day Naruto found out you were not going to come back. Jiraiya was still alive at the time and you had been gone for six months. No matter who told him that you were not just stuck at work in Tokyo, Naruto refused to listen. He was being is usual optimistic self, believing you would come back to him soon. However, that changed", she started, her honey coloured eyes fixed on Sasuke's face as if she was waiting for some kind of reaction.

"How? How did it change?", Sasuke asked, knowing that it was exactly what Tsunade wanted him to do. But he wanted to know, so why play games?

"It was winter already, the snow had fallen a foot deep and Jiraiya and I were waiting in front of the University that day because Naruto had just written his last exam. When he left the building, Sakura called out to him and shoved her phone under his nose. She had recorded the news that day and they were, for the first time ever, about you", Tsunade told him, her gaze now fixed on the opposite wall as if she were reliving her memory.

"I remember… father insisted on the interview. It was quite… bothersome", Sasuke commented, suddenly reminded of the nosy guy who'd interviewed him back then, asking all kinds of private questions, Sasuke didn't want to answer.

"Is that so? Well, do you also remember that you told the interviewer that you were going to stay in Tokyo to achieve even more for the UNB from then on? Or that you were single? And that this stupid anchor woman proclaimed you to be the most desirable bachelor in Japan?", Tsunade suddenly asked, her voice hard and accusing.

That part, Sasuke really didn't remember. He'd just answered the questions with what his father wanted to hear and telling the world that he was in a relationship, even married, had been entirely unthinkable.

"Obviously not. Well, Naruto remembers. After Sakura had kindly shown him your interview he stood there, unmoving in the snow. Jiraiya tried to get him to climb into our car but he wouldn't take a single step. And after minutes of silence he finally broke down, hyperventilating when his brain caught up to what your words really meant. You had abandoned him. I'll never forget what it felt like to see him lying in the snow like that. He spent that night at my house, hidden under a blanket. He refused to eat and drink. Your betrayal almost broke him once. This time it will do for sure", she ended, her lips pressed together in a thin line and her left brow twitching again.

Sasuke swallowed hard. He'd felt his throat clog up while Tsunade had spoken and now it was hard to breath. Naruto had of course never told him about that incident. It was something the blond man would want to keep hidden.

"I… understand… I'm not here to hurt him again. I want to make him happy, I swear it. Can you believe me?", he said with a deep sigh. He'd have to talk to Naruto about what he'd just heard tonight.

"Fine, but keep in mind that I'll rip you apart if you hurt him again", Tsunade said, her tone brisk. She didn't trust the Uchiha, but she knew an argument would lead nowhere right now and she didn't want to make things any harder for Naruto. That didn't mean she approved of the two men getting back together.

It was hard for Sasuke not to roll his eyes at her words. How many more of Naruto's friends would threaten him like this? "Get in line, lady. I've heard these words so often these past weeks that I'll have to change into a cat if want to give everyone the opportunity to kill me, if I screw up again", he said a little annoyed.

"It's good to know that Naruto has such loyal friends. In that case I would recommend you don't screw things up again. At least not if you're fond of your limbs".

"I don't intend to. May I leave?"

"Yeah. It's fine. I'll send you Kido-san to discuss what Sarutobi-san's treatment will look like from now on", with a nod and an odd smile Tsunade turned on her heels and walked down the corridor, leaving Sasuke alone with his thoughts.

He had hurt Naruto even deeper then he'd so far assumed. It was just like Naruto to keep his mental breakdown a secret from Sasuke, but no matter how bad he now felt because of it, he needed to know things like this and he would talk to his husband about the incident tonight.

Sighing, Sasuke turned and headed towards the door, changing into scrubs himself as he wouldn't be allowed to see Sarutobi otherwise. Inside the treatment room, Naruto and Konohamaru were standing right next to a narrow hospital bed. Sarutobi's eyes were closed, his chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm - the only sound in the room the monotonous piep-piep of the monitoring device next to the bed. It would take so little to end this fragile life displayed before them and the thought was almost grotesque to Sasuke, that a human being could be this depended on an apparatus.

The door slid open just as Sasuke and Naruto shared a glance while Konohamaru had gone to hold his grandfather's hand. Dr. Kido, the man from the night before, entered, not looking too happy. He was probably working a double shift and hadn't properly slept the last 24 hours. Sasuke had to admit, he would be in an equally bad mood if the roles were reversed.

"Uchiha-san, Uzumaki-san, Sarutobi-kun", the man said nodding at all of them. Naruto and Sasuke turned to face the doctor, Konohamaru however had is eyes still fixed on his grandfather, reaching for his lifeless hand to bury his own in the bigger one.

"Kido-san", Sasuke greeted politely.

"How long does ojii-chan have to stay?", Konohamaru suddenly exclaimed, his dark brown orbs wide as he looked at the doctor who'd treated his grandfather the previous night.

"I can't say that for sure at the moment, but a few weeks will be needed for him to fully recover. At the moment, he's still asleep, but I promise you, he'll wake up soon", Kido-san answered, his voice softer and more patient now that he spoke to a child instead of an adult.

Konohamaru nodded before turning back to his grandfather. He placed his head on the old man's arm and closed his eyes. Taking that as a sign that the boy didn't want to talk to him further, Kido-san went back to addressing the two other grown men in the room. "I will inform the child protective service now. The boy can't be left on his own and has to be placed in a foster family until his grandfather is at better health", he explained, either not seeing or not caring how Naruto flinched at the mention of the foster system.

Sasuke however did notice of course and stepped in before any more damage could be done. "That won't be needed, Kido-san. Uzumaki-san and I will take care of the boy. He's spent more than one night at our house so far, it will be the best for him".

Dr. Kido furrowed his brows and looked from one man to the other. Surely he must have come to the conclusion that Naruto and Sasuke were a couple (and Sasuke wouldn't correct him that in fact they weren't exactly together at the moment), which he didn't seem to be too fond of. "That's all well and good, but neither of you has children. You wouldn't know what a boy his age needs", he said, his eyes roaming over Sasuke and then Naruto. He was obviously judging them.

"Well, it just so happens that Naruto works with children and teenagers every day of his life. So, even if we don't have kids of our own, we are experienced enough to take care of Konohamaru for a few weeks. It's no good to take a child out of his familiar surroundings and place him with strangers", Sasuke objected, taking a step towards the man.

So far, Naruto had kept quiet, watching his husband talk some sense into the doctor. Mentioning the foster system always did funny things to his head, bringing back all the memories he'd tried to bury somewhere deep inside of him, so he could pretend they had never happened. "I will take him to the CPS on Monday and request custody for him. There's no need to further upset Konohamaru by forcing him to go with a stranger", he suddenly said, his voice calmer and steadier than he'd expected it to be.

Kido-san seemed to consider his words for a moment and then nodded at the two men. He knew when a fight was lost. They had the better reasons and were probably right. It would be good for Konohamaru-kun to stay with someone he already knew. "Fine. Just make sure that it's done as soon as possible. If anything happens to him, I'll be the one to take the blame".

"I promise, I'll make sure that temporary custody will be transferred to me as soon as possible", Naruto said, locking his eyes with Kido's. The man looked at him for another moment, before he turned and left the room without saying good-bye. Maybe he just didn't like adults.

"You alright?", Sasuke asked, his voice low enough for Konohamaru not to hear them, although the boy was still far to absorbed into cuddling with his grandfather as much as possible.

Naruto smiled at Sasuke gingerly and closed his eyes. "Don't worry. I'm fine. Do you think we can do this? Take care of a child for weeks?", he said, his voice now shaking slightly. Of course, Naruto would never let Konohamaru be transferred to a foster family like he had been over and over again, but having him live with them at all times was something very different from just babysitting.

"I'm sure we'll manage. I said I wouldn't let you down, so it's time for us to face this together. As a couple if you want…", Sasuke answered, hoping Naruto would agree.

He opened his eyes now and looked at his husband. "You're right, we can do this. And… maybe… as a couple… if… you prove that I can trust you".

* * *

 **To be continued…**

 **I really wanted to include Tsunade and the scene from shippuden when Sakura decides to execute Sasuke and Naruto just breaks down at the realization that other than him, no one wants to save Sasuke anymore. However, really writing that scene in an earlier chapter would have been too painful I guess, so I decided to let Tsunade tell Sasuke what happened, also to make him realize how much is at stake if fucks up again. So guys what do you think or hope is going to happen next? *g* Let me know and stay tuned for the second part of the chapter!**


	21. The Top in the Bottom

**Sooooo, I'm back with the second part of the chapter! It's gotten a bit longer than expected but I hope some of you, who had a very particular request, will be satisfied after reading this part :P Other than that, the chapter turned out quite fluffy I think, but I didn't want to change it. A little fluff might be good, with what is to come in the chapters ahead.**

 **So now enjoy the second part.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, if I did, the ending would've been quite different *g* All characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.**

 **Warning: _18+ content_! BoyXBoy – don't like don't read (and honestly if you made it this far in the story, you should know what's coming, so don't blame me :P) **

* * *

**Chapter 21 The Top in The Bottom**

Later that day, after they'd come home and spent some hours with preparations for Konohamaru to move into the guestroom for as long as it would take his grandfather to get well again, and an early supper because the boy was already fairly tired, Naruto was busy taking Konohamaru to bed while Sasuke sat in the living room, sipping at a cup of tea.

It was only six pm, but for an eight-years-old boy who had barely slept the night before, even this hour could be late enough to sleep. Well, Sasuke would be lying if he argued that he didn't think it to be convenient – first of all he wanted to talk about what Tsunade had told him and second, was having some alone time with Naruto something he desired very much.

However, he had just barely stretched out on the sofa, when his phone rang, showing Itachi's number on the screen. Well, it was probably just normal that his brother would call him today, after providing him and Naruto with food during their night in the hospital.

"Yes?", Sasuke asked into the speaker, waiting for Itachi to announce what he wanted to know.

"Ototou? Are you at home?", Itachi asked, his voice somehow strange, but Sasuke couldn't pinpoint why or how.

"Yeah… I am. Why?", he asked warily, his finger tracing the outline of the mug that sat in front of him on the small table. He didn't know why, but Itachi's voice made his baby hairs stand on end and he had to get into a sitting position, swaying his legs over the edge of the sofa.

"Father just called. His patience is running out, Sasuke and this little game is over. He knows where we are and he's sending Karin to Konoha to… speed things up", Itachi explained, a sigh in his voice as if he felt tired after a long battle.

Something cold and sharp sank into Sasuke's guts and spread inside him like liquid ice. If Karin came to Konoha, he wouldn't be able to keep his doings a secret from his father and everything would go down the tubes. All he could do now, was being honest with Naruto and tell him the truth so that, once Karin arrived, they'd both know what to expect the moment Sasuke refused to marry her.

"I understand. Well, it was always just a matter of time until he finds out what's going on. I planned to do all this differently but… apparently… I don't have a choice anymore", he mumbled into his phone.

"Sasuke? What do you plan to do?", Itachi asked, for the first time concern obvious in his voice. It was a rare thing for him to even sound like that. Usually, Itachi was the all problems solving genius of the Uchiha family, but he also knew how dangerous it was to cross either Fugaku or worse Madara Uchiha.

"I'm going to tell Naruto the truth tonight. He will either reject or forgive me… but no matter what his decision is going to be… I won't marry Karin and I'll tell her that once she arrives. Did father say anything about when she's going to be here?", Sasuke said, all determination and conviction

"No he didn't. But I guess she'll leave for Konoha in the next few days. You should expect her by Wednesday, I guess", Itachi answered, then paused and Sasuke did not speak into the silence, knowing that his brother wasn't finished yet. "Sasuke… I'm proud of you. Regardless of what you and Naruto will become after tonight, he will always be the only one for you, so… It's the right decision not to marry Karin".

"I know… I… have to go now and talk to Naruto… I'll call you tomorrow".

"Good luck, ototou".

Sasuke hung up and rose from the sofa, walking up the stairs to where the bedrooms were. He knew Naruto would come here after he'd put Konohamaru to bed, to change into comfier clothes. By waiting for him here, Sasuke wouldn't intrude on their guest and would be able to get to talk Naruto once he was free for the rest of the night.

He sat down on the bed, his back against the headboard, knees slightly bend and took out his phone to check his emails while he waited for Naruto, but other than a few work related mails he really didn't want to read right now, there was nothing in his inbox.

"Hey, what are you doing?", Naruto's voice made Sasuke look up from his phone, a small smile creeping onto his lips.

"Just checking mails. Would you mind sitting down? I want to talk about a few things…", Sasuke answered somewhere between smiling and feeling nauseous at the thought of what he was going to tell his husband.

Two blond eyebrows stot up in surprise as it was quite unusual for Sasuke to ask for a talk, but Naruto nodded and got on the bed. However, instead of sitting down next to Sasuke, he scooted over to him, settling between his slightly spread legs and placing his own to the right and left of Sasuke's hips. To sum it up, Naruto was almost sitting in his lap and Sasuke had a hard time to keep his blood from rushing south, to parts of his body where it could have more fun than in his now slightly mushy brain.

"I'm all ears. What do you want to talk about?", Naruto asked, leaning back a little to rest his weight on his hands, which he'd placed on the duvet.

Sasuke blinked at him in silence at first. They hadn't been this close in such a casual manner since he'd left and the memory of how touchy-feely Naruto could be came rushing back to him. He'd missed this more than anything else. Just the two of them, being close although Sasuke usually hated being touched. Naruto had always been the exception. "There are some things we… should discuss…", Sasuke started, furious at how his brain seemed to quit functioning at the most crucial moment.

Naruto tilted his head to the right and looked a little like a curious puppy, which did nothing to calm down Sasuke's rapidly racing heart. Instead a surge of dark possessiveness crushed over his head and he had to clench the sheets underneath him with his hands, to keep himself from kissing Naruto instead of talking to him.

"When I talked to Tsunade today… she told me about your break down… about how hard it was for you to realize that… I wouldn't come back anytime soon". Jeez, how much Sasuke hated the fact that he could talk smoothly to every client and investor he had to work with, but felt like a stuttering teenager as soon as he had to discuss matters of emotion. Why couldn't he just show Naruto his feelings instead of having to talk about it?

Naruto furrowed his brows at Sasuke's words. Of course, he remembered that day. The first winter without Sasuke. Until then they'd always spent New Year's together, often just the two of them, but this had been the first time Naruto had stayed over at Jiraiya's and Tsunade's at the turn of the year, feeling lonelier than ever before in his life. Shortly after, he'd had his last exam to write and Sakura had shown him the video of Sasuke's first ever interview.

The realization had hit Naruto like a kick in the teeth and he'd been unable to comprehend that Sasuke had really abandoned him and moved on. He'd spent days in Jiraiya's house, hidden under the blankets and unwilling to see anyone until Gaara had shown up and dragged him out of the house.

Afterwards, Naruto had done his best to forget about the incident.

"Yeah, that was pretty hard at the time, but I got over it, didn't I? No need to talk about it". It was so much like Naruto to avoid talking about such a matter, but Sasuke was determined not to let the topic slip away.

"Why didn't you tell me?", he asked, his voice now steadier than before, maybe due to the fact that Naruto tried to avoid him and Sasuke had never appreciated that.

"There was no need to tell you. It happened a long time ago and I got over it. No need to beat yourself up over it", Naruto explained, avoiding Sasuke's gaze, which only let to him reaching out for Naruto and placing his hand under Naruto's chin to force him into eye contact.

"Stop avoiding me. I want us to be honest with each other. You wanted to keep me from blaming myself for your pain, but it is my fault and you keeping quiet about it, is not going to change that, alright?". Blue eyes locked with black ones, obviously searching for something deep inside and after a while of silence Naruto nodded.

"I won't keep anything from you, if you stop having secrets from me as well. Why did you leave?", Naruto's voice sounded serious, a little accusing even; his sapphire blue eyes filled with eager anticipation and hadn't Sasuke planned on telling him the truth anyway, he would have decided to do to it this very moment.

"I left because I had to", Sasuke said, the tension suddenly thick in the room, their harsh breathings loud in the silence that followed the words. Neither spoke for a while, Naruto because he wanted to give Sasuke all the time he needed to come up with the right words and Sasuke because his throat had suddenly clogged up and his lips gone dry. He darted his tongue out to moisten them and swallowed hard to get rid of the lump that he knew would make his voice hoarse once he started speaking again.

"That day, when I met with the estate agent, father surprised me", he explained further, searching Naruto's face for any kind of reaction. The blue eyes had slightly widened at the mentioning of Fugaku, and plump pink lips were pressed into a thin line by now. His breath shaking slightly, Sasuke resumed his tale. "He knew about us and the marriage. To be exact, he knew almost everything about you and made it very clear that your future would go down the pan if I stayed with you. He threatened to have you exmatriculated for plagiarizing. It would have meant the end of your career and you had worked so hard to get into college. However, he told me that he would leave you alone if I followed him to Tokyo and ended our marriage".

There was silence again and this time Sasuke wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. Naruto sat there in front of him, unmoving, his blue eyes darkened and swirling with emotion, his fingers cramped around the sheets so hard, Sasuke could see the cords of his muscles stand out. It felt like the calm before the storm.

"I wanted to protect you, but I knew you would never let me go, so I threw away the letter I had written first to explain everything and just left you the note, hoping by the time you realized what was going on, you would already have moved on with your life and forgotten about me", Sasuke's voice was low and full of regret. Those dark eyes shining with guilt and all Naruto could do was stare at them while the meaning of what was being said, slowly made its way into his mind.

Sasuke had never stopped loving him, had never had enough of him or been bored by him. All the fears which had kept Naruto awake for weeks, were unfounded and he felt a strange mixture of bone-crushing relieve and white-hot fury. All this suffering on both their sides because Fugaku wanted his perfect family. "How dare he do that to you?", he whispered, his voice holding a dangerous edge that send goose pumps down Sasuke's back and went straight to his cock.

"He's always been an asshole. And I was stupid enough to fall for his threats. I wanted to protect your future and instead I put you through hell…", Sasuke admitted, the words thickly and slowly rolling off his tongue.

"I don't care!", Naruto suddenly explained, surging forward until his hands rested on Sasuke's shoulders and their faces were inches apart. Sweet, hot breath brushed over Sasuke's lips and he slipped his tongue out for a second as if to taste it. "Your father put you through hell! I could have moved on if I had wanted to, believing you didn't want me anymore. But you… you were never able to get over me, because you didn't leave of your own accord. You had to put on that mask of the perfect son when in reality you suffered each and every day!".

There he was, the fierce, just, protective Naruto, Sasuke had fallen for all those years ago. The righteous in wrath boy, who thought about everyone else first instead of himself, and Sasuke realized that there had never been a chance for him to get over this man. He was head over heels for him and would always be. Slowly he let his hand sink and glide into the pocket of his pants, where he kept the tiny box with his wedding band inside.

Blue eyes widened at the sight of it, recognizing the casket immediately for what it was. "You kept it?", he asked, his voice so rough it sounded almost foreign to himself. All these years Naruto had been wearing his wedding ring, unable to take it off until a few weeks ago, not knowing that his husband too had kept their token of love and obviously carried it around all the time. Naruto really wasn't the type for tears, but lately it seemed, they came to him more often than usual and right now, all he could do was fight them back if didn't want to look like a total moron in front of Sasuke.

"Yeah… I took it with me wherever I went, telling myself that having once been able to wear it has to be enough for an entire lifetime", he admitted, opening the lid with shaking fingers. God, his father would beat him for looking so pathetic, but Sasuke didn't care. It was finally time to make things right. "But I realized that it was a lie. Three years of openly wearing this, weren't nearly enough".

"Do you… want to wear it again?", Naruto asked, unsure of what else to say. His heart was racing like mad and he felt both hot and cold at the same time. Knowing that Sasuke had probably thought as much about him as he had thought about Sasuke during their time apart, made his head dizzy.

"I would very much like to… but… I don't know if you… want me to", Sasuke admitted. Their faces were still so close and he wanted to kiss Naruto more than anything, but he had to be patient, had to wait for him to come to a decision.

Instead of answering, Naruto leaned to the left, opening the drawer of his bedside table, where he knew his own wedding ring rested in. Fumbling a little, he took it into his open palm and held it out towards Sasuke. "Take it", he finally said, watching Sasuke's every move with those deep blue eyes of his.

As soon as the ring had left his palm, Naruto turned his hand and spread his fingers slightly apart, and Sasuke's gaze snapped up when it dawned on him what his husband wanted him to do. They were both frozen, Naruto waiting for either Sasuke's acceptance or rejection and Sasuke searching for confirmation of what he hoped Naruto waited for.

Sasuke's hands were shaking again, but he took Naruto's wedding ring between his fingers and finally slipped it back on the waiting hand, his heart beating frantically in his chest. Their eyes met and Naruto took Sasuke's ring from him, mimicking his movements as his slid the ring onto his finger, were it still fit perfectly.

"Don't fuck it up this time", Naruto said, a goofy grin slowly spreading across his face. He felt giddy like a toddler on Christmas, a bunch of butterflies roaming wildly in his stomach.

"I won't. I'll tell my father and Karin that they can all go fuck themselves. You are mine", Sasuke said closing his hands round Naruto's to bring their bodies closer together. "Karin is coming to Konoha next week… I'll tell her everything and explain the situation in person. She deserves as much".

Naruto blinked at him, but nodded. "Let us not talk about her or your father right now, yes?", he said, understanding why Sasuke had wanted to bring up the topic, but after they'd just somehow gotten back together, Naruto wasn't willing to let Sasuke's family interrupt their time together again.

"Right. I'm sorry… I…", Sasuke started, again cursing the fact that he just wasn't good at expressing his feelings with words. But then again, it wasn't needed anymore as Naruto closed the last inches between them and pressed his lips against Sasuke's with almost bruising force, drawing an appreciative moan from his throat.

Their bodies were suddenly pressed flush together and Naruto's hands were tugging at Sasuke's hair with an aggression that easily met his own when he launched forward and pinned Naruto onto his back, hovering over him while he deepened the kiss and licked his way into Naruto's mouth.

Naruto moaned into the kiss, his own tongue meeting Sasuke's in a battle for dominance, fighting it back to enter his husband's mouth with the same force he had used before, practically fucking him with the wet, slick appendage.

 _Fuck! More!_ Sasuke's mind screamed in wanton lust, his hands sliding along the hem of Naruto's jeans in search of the zipper. He wanted to feel him fully, not because things escalated in a heated moment, but because they both made the conscious decision that they wanted to be together and he would prove to Naruto that this time, things would indeed be different.

Hands still shaking, Sasuke started to fumble with Naruto's belt buckle, wanting to get rid of all those annoying clothes his husband was still wearing, in the search of proximity. He wanted… no _needed_ … to feel Naruto, to show him that they belonged together. He wanted to be Naruto's, to be claimed by him and feel save with him again after all those years of separation. Suddenly a thought struck him and he broke the kiss, opening his eyes to look into slightly worried blue ones.

"Sasuke? Are you alright? Something the matter?", Naruto asked, and Sasuke could hear the uncertainty in his voice even though he tried to cover it by pretended curiosity.

Leaning down until his lips were right beside Naruto's ear and making sure that his breath would fan over sensitive skin, Sasuke whispered: "Fuck me", afterwards sitting up again to get a good look at Naruto's face.

Blue eyes had widened in surprise and Naruto's mouth was half opened. Sasuke had never asked for anything remotely related to bottoming, so sure Naruto must have gotten him wrong. "W… what?", he stuttered, unable to stifle the animalistic greed he felt at the thought of taking Sasuke that made his voice thick.

"You might be a moron, but you're not deaf, Naruto. You heard me the first time. Fuck me", Sasuke chuckled darkly, running his tongue over the shell of a tanned ear to break down Naruto's reserve. And it worked. A low growl escaped Naruto's mouth and next thing Sasuke knew, two strong hands had embraced his hips and spun him around until he rested on his back, with Naruto hovering above him, hungry eyes glued to the patch of skin right above the waistband of Sasuke's pants, where his shirt had ridden up.

"You sure?", he asked, his eyes now searching for Sasuke's. He had wanted this for so long, but until now Sasuke had always been reluctant and his sudden change of heart made Naruto weary. He didn't want his husband to regret this later on.

"Yes, I'm sure. I want to feel you, not just around me, but inside me. Make me yours. Claim me", Sasuke almost purrs, watching Naruto's eyes turn from azure to midnight while he spoke. The words sent jolts of electricity right down to Naruto's crotch and had his cock go from soft to rock hard in three seconds flat.

He growled in satisfaction and rushed forward, capturing Sasuke's lips with his, sucking harshly at his bottom lip and then biting sharply until he drew blood. Almost lovingly, Naruto's tongue ran over the small wound and soothed the strange pain Sasuke was feeling.

"Make sure to remember those words when I'm inside you", Naruto whispered, after he'd broken the kiss, his hands now sliding over the hard planes of Sasuke's stomach to push his button-down shirt out of the way. Dark blue eyes roamed Sasuke's body with a hunger that he'd never seen like this before, but then again, he had never been on the receiving end of their relationship before and Naruto had willingly submitted to him, fuelling the beast that lay dormant in Sasuke's chest. However, being looked at like this, as if there was no one else in the world, made said beast purr in content.

Sasuke raised his hands, fisting Naruto's shirt in an attempt to yank him free of it, the unwanted garment being discarded beside the bed. Now, with daylight brightening the room, he could finally see what his husband looked like without clothes on. Last time they'd abstained from switching on the lights, preferring it to fuck in darkness, but this time nothing could conceal Naruto from Sasuke's gaze.

Soft, tan skin stretched over hardened, defined muscles. With his job as a martial arts master, Naruto's body had changed from what it had looked like that last morning before Sasuke had left. Well, he'd always been more ripped than Sasuke, who resembled most accurately a panther. Lean, delicate, with a feline litheness. Naruto however, had broader shoulders and wider hips. His muscles were even bulkier now, but not so much that it look unnatural and Sasuke desperately wanted to run his tongue along that hard abs.

"Like what you see?", Naruto teased, sliding his lips along Sasuke's jawline, then down his throat to his pulse point. A soft, wet tongue licked the sensitive skin and had Sasuke moan at the sensation. He knew, he should answer, but his mind had gone pleasantly numb. He could feel Naruto's fingers fumble with the buttons now, aiming to lay Sasuke's chest bare to those hungry eyes, while a greedy mouth sucked and bit his neck, probably leaving dark marks.

With the shirt finally open, Naruto's mouth descended further south, leaving filthy kisses along Sasuke's collarbone, until they reached already hardened nipples. A smirk appeared on blush lips. "You like this…", he said, his voice rough with lust, before he gently bit an erect nub.

" _Nggaahhh_ … yes…", Sasuke moaned in response. Why pretend otherwise when his body was already betraying him anyways. Naruto looked up at his husband's handsome face, taking in every small change of his expression. He loved seeing Sasuke wide open, showing is bare emotions and he revelled in the thought that no one but him had ever seen the stoic Uchiha like this.

Chuckling softly, Naruto raised his leg, spreading Sasuke's wider apart and applying pressure to his already leaking cock. Teeth kept nibbling at the pink nipple, sending white hot pleasure down to Sasuke's crotch. God, he yearned for more friction and arched his back to rub his dick against Naruto's leg.

Strong hands opened his pants and shoved them down harshly, too impatient to do so slowly. Naruto had waited for an opportunity like this for ten years and now that it presented itself to him, the need to possess and claim was so strong, he could barely resist to just ripping off Sasuke's clothes and take him dry.

With a fully naked Sasuke below him, Naruto finally let go of the swollen, abused nub to take in the full sight of him. The perfect porcelain skin, flawless but for a very thin scar running from waist to navel. Naruto leaned down and ran his tongue along the cut, remembering how Sasuke had gotten that scar during high school, when he'd come to Naruto's aid, who had just gotten beaten up again by a gang of older teenagers.

Sasuke hissed at the sensation, his cock now trapped between their bodies; Naruto's stomach pressing against the angry red organ. Somewhere deep inside he felt the wish to switch their positions, but he was strong enough to stifle that instinct and wondered if it had always been like this for Naruto.

"Get those pants off", Sasuke growled, hooking his fingers under the waistband to tug the annoying fabric away from the skin he so longed to touch.

"Eager again?", Naruto asked, opening the fly to help Sasuke with his attempt, who didn't wait a second longer to get rid of the last remaining garments which kept his husband's skin from touching his own.

"Shut up, usuratonkachi", Sasuke hissed, wrapping his arms around the man above him, bucking his hips to slide his cock against Naruto's. The friction was delicious and sent spikes of lust through his system.

Naruto chuckled again, sliding his hand along Sasuke's leg to his crotch to palm the weeping erection, slick with precum. "Tell me, Sasuke, did you think about me? Did you touch yourself and think it was me instead?", Naruto asked, his breath hot against Sasuke's skin, simultaneously starting to pump his cock in long, sensual strokes.

"Ahh… yes… yes I did", Sasuke moaned, his whole body shaking from the pleasure he received, greedy for more.

"Good. Because I did, too", Naruto said, sliding his free hand over the perfect shape of Sasuke's ass, down to the puckered hole he so much wanted to slam inside. "I touched myself right here", he added, his finger drawing lazy circles over the sensitive skin. "And pretended it was you".

Hell, this was good… so fucking good… to have Naruto talk and act like this, all lewd and filthy. A shiver ran down Sasuke's spine when he felt that curious finger tease his hole over and over again without sliding inside.

"You know…", Naruto began again, taking the lube out of Sasuke's drawer and squeezing a generous amount onto his fingers, slicking them to make things easier for his husband, who had never bottomed before in his life. "Every time, I would pretend that it was you inside of me, instead of my own fingers", he explained wickedly smirking while he slowly inserted a first finger into Sasuke.

The sensation was strange and odd, but not really unpleasant, and Naruto's words alone were hot enough for Sasuke's ball to tighten and his cock to pulse with need. The slow strokes he still received from the man above him did nothing to ease his _need_ for him.

"Does it feel good, Sasuke?", Naruto wanted to know, sliding his finger deep inside and curling it upwards to where he guessed Sasuke's prostate would be. A loud moan answered his question, Naruto's finger stimulating the sensitive insides enough to make Sasuke forget about the existence of language in general.

Slowly, Naruto pulled his finger out, only to add a second one as soon as he pushed back in. Sasuke hissed and winced a little; his eyes closed and his hair a black crown around his head, spread out on the pillow. With his legs spread wide open, the gorgeous blush tinting his pale cheeks and the harsh panting, he offered the most erotic view in the world. Naruto's cock twitched in anticipation. He had never been with anyone else, had never known what it would feel like to be engulfed be someone, but he sure as hell was looking forward to it.

"I can promise you, being fucked will feel even better", Naruto assured, thrusting in and out of his lover in a slow pace, occasionally scissoring his fingers, to stretch the tight muscle enough so Sasuke wouldn't hurt once Naruto pushed his cock inside.

Sasuke hissed again, this time not from discomfort at being stretched, but rather because of the lack of friction. Although his cock felt very good with Naruto stroking him and playing with the sensitive tip, he found himself yearning for more fingers, or preferably a cock, inside him. "Are you all talk today, dobe? Or are you actually going to do some fucking?".

Predatory dark blue eyes captured his gaze and for a second Sasuke thought he'd seen a dimension of aggression reflected in them that had yet been unknown to both of them. Letting Naruto top did obviously funny things to his instincts. However, Sasuke would be lying if he pretended it didn't turn him on to see his husband like this.

"Oh, I will teme, don't worry. I will fuck you so good, you'll forget about everything but my cock inside you", countered Naruto, his voice dark with a dangerous edge that went straight to Sasuke's cock and had him on the brink of orgasm. Naruto, being the observant lover he was, noticed and curled his fingers up sharply, thrusting right inside Sasuke's prostate.

White hot pleasure ran through his veins, when his orgasm tore through him, ripping Naruto's name from his lips as he came, spilling his load over the hand that had been stroking him. "See? I'm not all talk. And I haven't even fucked you yet", Naruto mocked, inserting a third finger inside the tight channel to loosen Sasuke up further.

New spikes of sensation had Sasuke twitch under the assault, his nerves still being overwrought from his orgasm a few seconds ago. He was still riding on the aftermath, when Naruto increased the pace and sent Sasuke's senses into overdrive.

"Ahhh… fuck… Naruto…", he panted, unable to form coherent words, thrashing his head around and shaking.

"Too much for you, teme? Do I need to slow down?", Naruto's voice was thick with sarcasm and false concern, when he hooked both Sasuke's legs over his shoulder and brought his hips up, never once stopping the thrusting, but instead adding his tongue now that Sasuke's ass was on a level with Naruto's face and he could finally have a good look at his gorgeous husband.

"Na- Naruto… fuck!", Sasuke moaned, his fingers clenching the sheets underneath him, his husband lapping at his hole, while his fingers rubbed over Sasuke's prostate.

"Fuck, Sasuke. I can't wait any longer", Naruto growled, retrieving his fingers and letting Sasuke slide down a little, until only his lower legs were still hooked over Naruto's shoulders. The clicking noise of the tube told Sasuke that Naruto was now preparing his cock and he braced himself for what was to come next.

Blue eyes sought for dark ones and locked with them. The mischief was gone now and Naruto looked at Sasuke with honest worry, not sure if he should really proceed. No matter how much the beast inside his chest wanted to, he wouldn't take Sasuke, if the other man was uncomfortable with it. However, the slight nod he received dispelled all his doubts.

Swallowing hard at the look in Sasuke's eyes, Naruto lined his erection with Sasuke's hole and slowly pushed inside, the tight ring of muscles, although loosened up, pressing against the tip. Sasuke winced at the intrusion, having someone's dick inside you was an entirely different matter than three fingers. Fortunately, Naruto stopped after the first inches, giving himself (he was already on the brink of cumming) and Sasuke time to adjust to the new sensation.

It took only a few minutes for Sasuke to get used to being stretched this far and soon he got impatient with the slow pace. He thrust his hips down, effectively impaling himself on Naruto's cock. "Go on with it, dobe. I can stand the pain", he snarled, rolling his eyes.

Naruto growled at him and griped his waist harshly, pulling out of Sasuke and simultaneously turning him around until his rested on his knees and forearms.

"The fuck- _ahhhnnnnnggg_ ", Sasuke rasped, his voice breaking the moment Naruto slammed into him full force, stretching him wide and growling into his ear, while blunt nails scraped along Sasuke's sensitive skin. There was pain, quite a bit of it actually, but Sasuke had provoked Naruto and he wouldn't complain about the outcome of it. Instead, he tried to focus on the feeling of that cock brushing against his prostate again and the hot tongue sliding along the dip of Sasuke's spine.

Naruto's senses had meanwhile gone into overdrive. Being inside Sasuke felt glorious. Naruto's dick was surrounded by a velvety heat that seemed to suck him in and every time he thrust into the tight warmth, sliding along Sasuke's inner walls, Naruto's world turned upside down. At this point he couldn't stop himself from thrusting, even if he wanted to. The beast inside his chest was howling in excitement and he felt an overwhelming, primal drive to mark and claim his lover.

Still thrusting inside him, Naruto leaned over Sasuke's back, running his tongue along the sensitive neck and snaking a hand around his waist to embrace the again erect cock that hung heavily between Sasuke's thighs. "You're mine", he growled, sinking his teeth into the soft skin of Sasuke's shoulder. They were of course too blunt, to leave a permanent mark, but just the feeling of biting him alone was enough to satisfy that strange primal urge for now.

Sasuke moaned at the feeling of Naruto's teeth breaking his skin. He'd always enjoyed mixing their sex with a bit of pain and knowing that after all this time, Naruto really wanted him back and was sealing their promise in an admittedly animalistic way, made Sasuke thrust out his hips even more to meet Naruto's every move and take him even deeper in.

Naruto purred in satisfaction, changing the angle of his thrusts in search of Sasuke's prostate and smirked when he finally hit it dead on, ripping a loud moan from his lover's lips. He leaned forwards and captured them in a hot, filthy kiss, his hand pumping Sasuke's cock in sync with Naruto's harsh thrusts.

Both knew they wouldn't last much longer. The friction was too much and Sasuke squeezed more tightly around Naruto's cock with every thrust, panting harshly as the second orgasm hit him like a rock that night and made him scream Naruto's name as he came, thrusting frantically into his husband's hand.

With Sasuke cumming again and his walls clenching down on Naruto, he felt his balls tighten and gripped Sasuke's hips almost painfully hard, delivering his last harsh strokes before white hot lust crushed through him, making him cum harder than ever. He spilled his seed inside his husband, having completely forgotten to use a condom in the heat of the moment, but the thought only fuelled the burning sensation inside his chest while he rode out his orgasm with a few languid thrusts.

"Holy hell…", he whispered, feeling Sasuke yield under the pressure of Naruto's body. They sank back onto the bed together and Naruto, not yet willing to pull out, wrapped his arms around Sasuke and spooned him from behind, nuzzling his sweaty neck and damp hair.

Sasuke just hummed in content, not objecting to the warm embrace although he desperately longed for a shower.

It took them both a few minutes to cool down and even out their breathing, before Naruto finally pulled out of Sasuke and leaned over to capture his lips in a slow kiss. There was nothing filthy and lusty about it this time, just a strange, welcome feeling of warmth that settled deep in Sasuke's chest.

"See, things will be different this time", he said, turning towards Naruto and running a hand through his blond locks.

Naruto just closed his eyes and leaned into the touch. "Yeah, this time I'll kick your stupid ass if you try to leave again, teme", he said, a lazy grin spreading across his face.

"As if you could kick my ass, usuratonkachi", Sasuke replied with a smirk.

Naruto laughed. "I could if I wanted to", he said before turning serious again. "And I will kick your father's ass once Konohamaru his back at home".

A sad half-smile appeared on Sasuke's lips. "Let's do that together", he said, feeling whole again for the first time after so long.

* * *

 **To be continued…**

 **That's it! The truth finally *-* And they're back together *g* Now there's still Konohamaru and Karin to deal with and this is where we head into the third and final arch of the story. It hope you liked the chapter. Stay tuned for more.**

 **PS. With Ashes getting ever closer to the end I'm already thinking about what I want to right next. I have two stories up my sleeve, and would like to know what you want to read first. The first one is a High School AU with Naruto and Sasuke playing in a basketball team, the second one is also modern AU with Naruto in a relationship with Sakura until he meets Sasuke. What do you guys prefer? Let me know!**


	22. The Close in the Distant

**Hi everyone!**

 **It's been a while… I'm sorry… My mum bought a new apartment right after I came back from London and now makes me help her move *g* It keeps me from writing, but I really don't want to let her down in this. It was quite a huge decision for her to make.**

 **On a different matter, have you guys seen Yuri on Ice? I'm in love with the anime, really! It soooooo… gay! *cough* Okay, enough of that! I'm glad how many people liked the last chapter and especially the smut scene with Naruto in charge. Thank you for your reviews and likes! *g* This new chapter opens the third and last arch. In which all loose ends will be picked up again.**

 **Okay, before we start another last word from me, to all my American readers out there… I'm sorry… I know it's been a few days since the election and things have settled down a bit, but honestly I was shocked. Especially for minorities things might change and really do hope that there will still be progress for the LGBT+ movement. All fingers crossed!**

 **So now let's finally start with the new chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, if I did, the ending would've been quite different *g* All characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.**

* * *

 _Stay with me, don't let me go  
Because there's nothing left at all  
Stay with me, don't let me go  
Until the Ashes of Eden fall_

 **Chapter 22 The Close in the Distant**

Bright daylight woke Naruto on Sunday morning. He blinked against the light and tried to turn away from it, when he realized that a weight on his chest kept him from moving. Mildly surprised, he looked down, only to find a mob of messed up black hair resting on his chest. Obviously, Sasuke had gotten cuddly sometime during the night.

A small smile appeared on Naruto's lips and he raised his free right hand, spreading his fingers apart in front of his face to take a good look at the golden ring that fit so perfectly. He still remembered the pain of taking it off that day when he'd believed his marriage to be over. Never had he thought that he'd see the day when he woke with Sasuke like this again. As a couple.

He closed his eyes for a moment, feeling his husband move next to him, and when he opened them again, Sasuke's slightly paler hand had joined Naruto's, showing the same ring just one size smaller. Sasuke had always had more delicate hands than Naruto, who now turned his head to face his husband. "Hey there", he said, unsure of what else to say.

How do you start a conversation with someone you've just gotten back together with after so much drama?

"Morning dobe", Sasuke said with a smirk, tangling the fingers of his raised hand through Naruto's to entwine their hands, rings resting over one another.

Naruto mock pouted at the nickname, his eyes twinkling with happiness. "Oi teme. No insults early in the morning", he said, lowering both their arms until their joined hands rested right above his heart.

"Hn. You like my insults", Sasuke replied all arrogant bastard that he was.

"Oh and I know something you like very much", Naruto countered, rolling over and pinning both Sasuke's hands beside his head. The taste of dominance he'd gotten the night before had obviously left an impression. Flashing a mischievous grin at Sasuke, Naruto rocked his hips against Sasuke's, drawing a hiss from the man beneath him.

"As much as I would like to continue your little display of power, we have a guest waiting for us. And if by any chance we haven't woken him last night, we would definitely do so now", Sasuke said, however bucking his hips in response to Naruto's movements, to let their still naked cocks brush against each other. A promise to finish this next chance they got.

Naruto nodded with a sigh and rolled off of Sasuke, spreading out next to him. It was kind of frustrating that he couldn't do all the things he wanted to do to him now that he had him back, but he also knew that they had to act like responsible adults for Konohamaru. Nonetheless, after so many years apart there was a lot to make good for and even if they'd had at least a round of hot touching and tasting during their shower together the previous night, it hadn't been enough to still Naruto's hunger for Sasuke.

"As soon as he's back with Hiruzen, I'll fuck in every room we've got", said Naruto with a lazy smirk on his face that made Sasuke's body heat up in the best of ways.

"I'm looking forward to it", he replied and rolled out of bed to get dressed. It was already past nine and a child of Konohamaru's age wouldn't sleep forever. It was time for Naruto and Sasuke to get presentable if they wanted to avoid an embarrassing moment with their houseguest.

The rest of the day went by rather uneventful. Konohamaru was still a little shaken from what had happened to his grandpa, but that was more than understandable. And after their obligatory visit in the afternoon, Naruto had spoken to the boy about where he would stay for the next weeks and that they would have to go to the youth welfare office the next day.

Naruto had of course called Gaara later in the evening to tell him that he wouldn't make it in time to work the next day and had promised to tell his friend exactly what had happened this weekend. He was pretty sure that Gaara would not be too happy about him and Sasuke being officially back together. But other than Gaara or any of his friends, Naruto had seen and felt how much Sasuke wanted to make this work.

It was still strange to think about them as a couple again. Yet, in situations like this, with the ever growing responsibility for Konohamaru, Naruto was glad not to be alone.

Therefore, exactly at 8:07pm, Naruto, Sasuke and Konohamaru entered the building in central Konoha the next day, hoping to get an appointment as soon as possible. The hallways were very white and the artificial light from the ceiling made Sasuke's head go dizzy. Not a nice place for children to be, he thought and wondered what Naruto must feel like.

As far as Sasuke knew, the man had spent more than one day of his childhood in this facility. He'd had to come here whenever his foster family changed again and that had sometimes happened more than once a year.

Naruto himself felt his hands go sweaty and his throat clog up. He hated that place and had sworn on the day of his eighteenth birthday that he would never return. Unfortunately, he was too nice a guy, not to help Konohamaru. That didn't mean that he wasn't plagued by memories of his childhood though.

The youth welfare office had been a part of his upbringing as long as he could remember. Those white walls and plain faces had haunted his dreams for years, alongside the dreadful feeling of being unwanted and unloved. Even the child service workers hadn't cared about him. He'd been nothing but a nuisance to them. He child no one wanted and that they had to take care of again and again, no matter what family they put him in and the older Naruto had gotten the more rebellious his behaviour had been.

He hated this place, but for Konohamaru's sake, he wanted to act like the adult he had become and not let his personal involvement cloud his judgement.

After waiting for maybe half an hour, the three men were called into one of the small offices, to meet the child service worker. It was one of those, Naruto hadn't met during his many visits, which he was very thankful for. A fresh face would make things easier he hoped. The name of the man was Yakushi Kabuto.

Said Yakushi-san was sitting behind his desk when they entered; looking at them through his round glasses, with a smile on his lips that was so sickly sweet, Naruto felt the urge to punch the man. He had long silver hair, bound into a ponytail and long fingers tapping on the surface of the desk.

"Hello, Yakushi-san", Naruto greeted, as the child service worker pointed for them to take the seats in front of his desk. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto, this is my husband, Uchiha Sasuke and this is Sarutobi Konohamaru on whose behalf we are here".

Yakushi-san waited for all three of them to take their seats, eyeing them in the meantime with his dark orbs. Sasuke personally found the man rather unnerving and couldn't fight off the feeling that he'd seen him somewhere before, but just couldn't remember where he knew him from.

"So, what is it, Konohamaru-kun needs?", Yakushi asked once the unlikely couple and their ward had sat down, folding his hands on the desk.

Naruto felt suddenly rather grateful that this man hadn't worked here by the time he had been a frequent visitor. The guy was outright creepy. "Well, you see. His grandfather was hospitalized the day before yesterday and he'll have to remain an in-patient for some weeks. That's why my husband and I want temporary custody for Konohamaru-kun".

A thin silver eyebrow rose on Yakushi's forehead and he momentarily pressed his lips together. It seemed, he didn't appreciate Naruto's request very much. "May I ask how old you and your husband are?", he said, his voice more than a little sceptic.

"Both 26", Sasuke answered, sensing Naruto's unwillingness to talk to the man. Unseen by those dark eyes, he let his hand glide down Naruto's thigh under the desk, applying reassuring pressure as it went.

Tense shoulders relaxed somewhat as the warmth of Sasuke's hand seeped through the fabric of Naruto's pants and he nodded in agreement to his husband's words, while Yakushi-san gave them the once over again.

"Don't you think, you're a bit too young to take care of a child that age?", he asked, his dark eyes darting towards Konohamaru, who sat silently on his chair next to Naruto. It was a rare thing for the boy to act so shyly, but Naruto remembered how he'd felt the first time he came here (or a least the first time he realized where he was) and he'd been frightened on end.

"No, I don't think so. Other couples our age already have children of their own", Naruto retorted, feeling anger build inside his chest. He was so done with this system's shit.

Yakushi-san cleared his throat, obviously rather displeased with Naruto's response and Sasuke briefly wondered if it was a good idea to piss the social worker off. But then again, he could understand Naruto's lack of patience when it came to those guys. "That's all good and well, but you have to understand that it is my obligation to make sure that the child is transferred into a caring family", Yakushi said, tilting his head to the side as if were talking to a dog.

Sasuke could feel Naruto tense up again. "How considerate of you. Why did that measure never apply to the foster families I was stuck with?", his voice was dripping with irony and suppressed anger and Sasuke knew that at this point he would have to interfere if they wanted to take Konohamaru home with them today.

"Listen, Yakushi-san, we might both be men and quite young too from your prospective, but Konohamaru-kun has known Naruto for years and he comes over regularly. It would do the child no good to be placed in an unfamiliar environment instead of having him live with us", Sasuke explained in his business voice that usual made all his clients give in to his terms.

Yakushi Kabuto seemed to consider Sasuke's words for a moment. His dark eyes gliding from one man to the other as he thought hard about what he'd just heard. Afterwards he looked back at the screen of his computer, obviously checking the information he had on Konohamaru. "Well, here it says that the boy as an aunt and an uncle", he said matter-of-factly.

"They live abroad", Konohamaru suddenly said, speaking up for the first time. "I want to live with Naruto-niichan!". Three heads turned to the child who'd been sitting silently in his chair so far and Yakushi again took his time to consider the words, before he slowly nodded.

"Alright, the boy will be placed in your custody until his grandfather can be released from hospital. You will be given family assistance though, as you have never had a child living in your household so far", Yakushi answered, typing away busily on his keyboard.

"That sounds like a reasonable compromise, yes", Sasuke agreed, glancing at his husband who just nodded but other way remained silent. Naruto didn't like that sleaze Yakushi one bit, but he didn't want to risk Konohamaru's custody because of some rash words spoken in a moment of weakness.

"Good. I need both your IDs please", Yakushi said, while Naruto and Sasuke both took out their wallets and handed over their IDs.

There was silence again, while the social worker typed the necessary information into the system and hit the print button. "There will of course be further background checks made on both of you. We cannot risk the boy's safety due to lack of checking", he explained, reaching for the printed papers.

"Do what you must", Naruto replied, still not very propitiatory. Under the desk, Sasuke squeezed Naruto's thigh again. Going back to this place was probably the hardest thing his husband had done in years and it brought back to many buried memories of an unwanted child that had been given from one family to the other, never to find _home_ with any of them.

"Good. I need both of you to sign this", Yakushi slid several sheets of paper and a pen over to them, looking expectantly at Sasuke and thoroughly ignoring Naruto. "You will of course be given copies of this to read at home".

Sasuke and Naruto shared another glance before Naruto reached for the pen and signed the papers, followed by his husband. They both knew that the next few weeks would be challenging but they were now ready to face any kind of obstacle together again. Five years of separation were over and Naruto finally felt sure that Sasuke would not walk out on him ever again.

"With that done, you are free to go", Yakushi said, signing the papers as well and handing Sasuke the plain copy of them. The man didn't smile and still gave off some creepy wipes. Naruto felt glad to be able to leave his office now.

They spent the rest of the day with visiting a still unconscious Hiruzen again and fetching everything Konhamaru would need from the Sarutobi house so the boy could finally settle into their guestroom and feel at least remotely at home. He still wasn't back to his normal talkative self, but that was probably only natural after what had happened these past days.

In the evening Naruto called Konohamaru's uncle Asuma who had been informed about his father's state by the hospital staff already, to tell the man that Konohamaru would be living with Naruto and Sasuke for the time being. Asuma, in addition, had promised to come to Japan as soon as possible, but found himself unable to leave at the time being.

Finally, on Tuesday morning, Naruto decided that it was time for Konohamaru to get back to school. It wouldn't do the boy any good to just sit at home and worry all the time. Being with his friends would get his mind off of Hiruzen, which was absolutely necessary after a stressful weekend like this.

Sometimes though, whenever there was a moment of silence, Naruto would sit down and wonder if it was better to have known and lost your family, like Konohamaru had, or to not have known them in the first place. He often felt that he was lacking something because he couldn't even recall what his parents looked like or what they had liked or disliked. It felt like huge part of him was missing. But wouldn't he miss them even more if he'd actually gotten to know them?

Wouldn't he see them in everyone who looked similar? Or had similar personalities? Wouldn't that be even more painful for him?

"Hey, you alright?", Sasuke asked, sitting down next to Naruto on the couch as soon as Konohamaru had gone to sleep that Monday night.

"Yeah, I guess I am", Naruto answered with a slow smile that wouldn't quite reach his eyes and he could see Sasuke raise an eyebrow at him.

"Don't lie to me, usuratonkachi, I know when you do", he said with a sigh. Dark eyes watched Naruto's intently as he leaned back, placing his head on the backrest.

"I don't know. It just all… confusing… I guess", Naruto said, not really willing to talk about how he felt at the moment not even with Sasuke, who turned his head to have a better look at him, furrowing his brows.

They had known each other for twenty years and no matter how long they'd been apart, Sasuke would always have the ability to read his husband like an open book. He knew when Naruto wasn't willing to talk and he was patient enough to wait until he was ready, so instead of bugging him, Sasuke took the lead and moved over to Naruto, who had closed his eyes, and straddled him.

Blue eyes opened in surprise, as soon as Naruto felt the additional weight of his husband sitting in his lap and he would lie if he ever claimed the sight wouldn't send his blood rushing south. "What…", he began but never got the chance to end his question as his lips were soon caught in a heated kiss.

Obviously, Sasuke had decided that it was time to distract his husband from his musings and make him focus on something else, which by the way, worked miraculously well as soon as his hands slid under Naruto's shirt and started to play with his nipples. He'd always been so responsive and Sasuke loved him for it.

Of course they took a risk fucking on the sofa with a child in the house, but right now Naruto needed Sasuke's comfort and once they'd brushed they clothed erections against one another, they both knew they'd never make it to the bedroom.

* * *

Tuesday afternoon, Naruto stood in the dojo watching his students practice, with Gaara currently helping a pair of teenagers who were still having trouble with a certain technique. The two men had used the early hours of their workday to catch up on what had happened over the weekend.

Needless to say, Gaara wasn't exactly happy about Naruto and Sasuke 'being a thing again', but Naruto knew that his best friend would never let him down and would soon get used to having Sasuke in his life, even if the two of them would never become actual friends. Too much had happened for that.

However, it wasn't Gaara, Naruto was currently worrying about, but rather Konohamaru. As planned, the boy had gone to school again today and had been supposed to come and train with Naruto this afternoon, but so far he hadn't shown up.

Usually, Konohamaru loved training and would never skip, but Naruto wasn't sure what the fuss of the last days would do to a child his age. Maybe he hadn't felt like training and had gone home already?

Sighing, Naruto took out his phone to text Sasuke, who had stayed at their house that morning to do some work and maybe talk to Itachi about what they were to do with Karin, who was bound to show up in a few days. Of course the poor girl wasn't to blame for the situation, but Naruto found it hard not to dislike her without ever having met her.

 _Konohamaru with you?_

 _-N._

He put his phone back onto the bench he was currently sitting on, waiting for his husband to reply. For a short moment he locked gazes with Gaara, who afterwards left the two students to practice what he had just shown them.

"Something the matter? Where's Konohamaru?", he asked sitting down next to Naruto.

"I don't know. He just didn't come today. I texted Sasuke. Maybe Konohamaru already went home", Naruto explained, shrugging.

"Or maybe he's at his grandpa's house. I mean, no matter how often he comes to visit you, that house is his true home and he might want to go there for comfort at times of need, if you know what I mean", Gaara offered, is clear green eyes still fixed on their students instead of Naruto. It was one of the guy's quirks that he didn't always look at you during a conversation.

"Yeah… good thinking… I'll wait for Sasuke's text though. Would you mind me leaving early today in case Konohamaru isn't with Sasuke?", Naruto asked, feeling like he should look after Konohamaru and not leave him alone at times like these.

"It's fine. If he isn't at your house, you just leave and go look for him. He'll probably need you", Gaara said matter-of-factly.

Next to Naruto, his phones final buzzed with Sasuke's reply, which only told Naruto that Konohamaru indeed wasn't with Sasuke. "Okay… I'll take my leave and look for him. I'm sorry, mate. I'll make it up to you!", he said, getting up.

"Let's spar again as soon as things settle down a bit, yes?", Gaara said, now turning his face towards Naruto.

"I promise! And I never go back on my word!", Naruto answered, before heading to the showers.

Forty minutes later, he used his spare key for Hiruzen's house, to get inside and look for Konohamaru. There was no light and no sound when he entered, but Naruto supposed that this shouldn't surprise him. If the boy really went here in search for comfort, he maybe wouldn't want people to know where he was and would keep the lights and sounds out.

"Konohamaru?", Naruto called into the silence. "Are you here?". No one answered, but Naruto hadn't counted on an immediate answered anyway and ventured deeper into the house, peeking in each of the ground floor rooms as he went.

"I know it's been a tough weekend and that you feel bad right now. I'm not angry that you skipped practice today. I would probably have done the same. Let's just talk, okay?", he called, while walking into the kitchen, where he peeked around the counter to see if the boy hid behind it, but stopped dead as soon as he'd done so.

Konohamaru was nowhere to be seen, but his school bag was lying on the floor, it's content scattered around the floor and right next to it a broken glass that had obviously fallen from some height, its shards mixing with a pens on the ground.

Something was wrong.

Something bad had happened.

Naruto felt panic rush through his veins as he took in the sight of the kitchen. The back door, which led to the garden where Hiruzen had been found, was open and Naruto rushed over and ran into the garden, yelling Konohamaru's name, but there was no answer.

What had happened? Where was he? Why was there broken glass in the kitchen?

Naruto turned around, again searching every room in the house, but unable to find any other clue on what might have happened. Had Konohamaru just dropped the items in the kitchen and then left through the back door? But why would he do that?

Shaking and filled with a dread he couldn't yet understand, Naruto walked back to the front door, until his gaze fell into a newspaper that someone had put on the sideboard in the hallway.

 _Mysterious Kidnapper Still Not Found_ the headline read and Naruto suddenly knew what had caused the bad feeling he'd had ever since he'd entered the kitchen. What if Konohamaru had fallen into the guy's hands? He was registered in the foster system and if the kidnapper really chose his victims there, Konohamaru could be one of possible targets.

Something inside Naruto constricted painfully. It couldn't be true could it? Maybe Konohamaru had just run away? Maybe he'd dropped the glass in a moment of anger at how unfair his life was right now?

"Okay… calm down… you're no damn use to anybody like this", Naruto whispered into the silence. All he could do now, was to inform Sasuke and maybe also some of their friends and start to search for his ward and if they really couldn't find him… well… in that case they'd have to inform the police…

Running a hand through his hair, Naruto left the house and crossed the street, trying to calm his frantic heart. He couldn't deny that deep down he still feared that the mysterious kidnapper might be behind Konohamaru's disappearance but he absolutely didn't want to think about that now.

"Naruto? What's wrong?", Sasuke asked, as soon as his husband walked into their living room. Until now Sasuke had been working on his notebook, a steaming cup of tea in front of him.

"Konohamaru's gone…", Naruto said, his blue eyes wide and his tanned face sickening pale. Sasuke had never seen his husband like this, and it made his throat go dry and dread sink into his guts. Something must be horribly wrong if Naruto looked like this.

"What do you mean, he's gone?"

"He didn't show up for training today… that's why I asked you if he was with you… Gaara said I should go look for Konohamaru at Hiruzen's house… but… his school bag is on the kitchen floor… and there's a shattered glass…I don't know… you don't think something bad might've happened to him… do you?", Naruto explained.

Sasuke watched him fiddle with his hands nervously and shiver at the thought. Whatever it was, Naruto had seen in that house, it had shocked him. "I'll call Itachi. He'll help us look for Konohamaru. Maybe he just took off because he's upset", he said.

Naruto nodded in agreement. "Yes, I'll call Gaara… and maybe Sakura… the more people we get to help the better…".

* * *

"Okay, we'll search through the entire neighbourhood… If we don't find him by nightfall, we inform the police… Sakura and Lee as one Team, Itachi and Gaara as one and Naruto and me. If you find him, let us know and we meet back at our house", Sasuke explained to their four friends willing to help them search for the boy.

Everyone else had been either at work or otherwise occupied, but at least they'd managed to form three separate groups to go and look for Konohamaru. Thank God it was almost summer time and the days were already fairly long. They'd have at least two hours of sunlight left before dusk.

Itachi was of course his usual professional self, while Sakura and Lee both seemed quite anxious. Well, maybe for Lee the word 'excited' would be better, because he was absolutely sure that they'd find Konohamaru with their 'power of youth' (at which Sasuke rolled his eyes for obvious reasons). Gaara had so far kept to himself and not offered much of his opinion on the matter, but Sasuke was certain he would do everything in his power to find the missing boy.

The three groups each took off into a different direction, calling for Konohamaru until they'd all disappeared from each other's view and hearing distance.

"You know the boy?", Itachi asked Gaara, while they searched a nearby park.

Gaara just nodded. "Yes. He's one of our students".

Well, that wasn't exactly news to Itachi, but he decided to just smile and nod. He'd never met Gaara in person before and he had to admit that there was something stunning about the red haired man with the clear green eyes. He didn't talk much and seemed quite unsocial at times, but Itachi was sure that there was more underneath the cool surface.

They kept searching without a conversation for a while; Itachi thinking that Gaara probably preferred professionalism over senseless small talk, but without any success. Konohamaru was neither in the park, nor near the local supermarket or anywhere around the elementary school. Whenever they'd seen a child cross a street in the distance, Itachi had seen Gaara's eyes brighten for as long as it took him to realize that the child wasn't Konohamaru.

Gaara really did care, even if his face and voice didn't betray any kind of concern. It obviously just wasn't like him to show his emotions too openly – the exact opposite of Naruto to be honest. But it was something that raised Itachi's interest. He wanted to get to know the strange man more as soon as things calmed down a bit; not only with Konohamaru but with Sasuke and Naruto as well.

Two hours later the sun was setting and the six friends were gathering in front of Naruto's and Sasuke's house, all of them equally unsuccessful at finding Konohamaru.

"Naruto, we are so sorry. There's no trace of him…", Sakura said with hanging shoulders. Even Lee seemed unable to find optimistic words now. They all looked worried and it was hard to imagine what Naruto was going through. Konohamaru was like a little brother to him, a child he'd adopted as a part of his chosen family and no sooner had Naruto really taken over responsibility than the boy had just disappeared.

"He could have taken the bus and gone down town", Gaara said impassively, looking at each member of the search party. "But I doubt we'd find him in this darkness. The city's quite huge. Maybe you should go inform the police. They have better means to find a missing child".

"Yes, we should do that. Thank you for your help, guys. Sasuke and I will go to the police station and maybe they'll find Konohamaru soon", Naruto said, hugging Sakura, who looked rather shaken and put her right hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"Whatever happened, please remember that it's not your fault, alright? You can't be around him 24/7", she said trying to encourage Naruto, who of course had already started to blame himself. He should have met Konohamau at his school instead of expecting him to come to the dojo on his own. Naruto had simply underestimated how Konohamaru would feel and now the boy was gone and it was Naruto's fault, because he hadn't properly taken care of him.

"She is right, you know", Itachi agreed, his hands in his pockets. "But we shouldn't keep you from informing the police by discussions like this. It doesn't lead anywhere. Please inform us, as soon as there's news about Konohmaru".

"Yeah, we will. Thank you, nii-san", Sasuke said while he got into his car. Naruto didn't feel like driving at the moment, he was too nervous and too anxious to do that and was again thankful that Sasuke was back and helping him in what felt like the worst time of his life right now.

But there was still hope. They'd just go to the police and report Konohamaru missing and with their help it shouldn't be too hard to find an eight-year-old – that's at least what Naruto told himself.

"Don't worry. We'll find him. You are not alone in this", Sasuke said, turning his head towards Naruto while they waited in front of a red traffic light and Naruto shared his glance, their eyes locking in a short tender moment that was enough to flood him with warmth.

No matter what happened, he wasn't alone in this and with Sasuke by his side, he could deal with whatever shit life threw at him.

* * *

 **To be continued…**

 **Okay, here we are with Konohamaru gone and drama headed our way. Does anyone have any ideas on what going to happen? If yes, please share them with me, I'm always curious. Next chapter a lot of things will be explained and our favourite scarecrow will show up.**

 **Some people asked me to add ItaGaa as a pairing in the short scene during the search I tried to test if that would work. What do you guys think? Should I include ItaGaa as a side pairing?**


	23. The Comfort in the Despair

**Hi everyone!**

 **I know the chapter is a few days late but I had to get the Yuri on Ice stuff out of my head first. Felt like a writer's block really every time I tried to continue this chapter. v.v Well, it's done now and this chapter is finished as well, so no harm done I hope.**

 **The plot is getting thicker and thicker as we head towards Naruto's and Sasuke's final challenge and that makes writing it even harder XD No logic fails and stuff :P I'm very happy to have Kakashi and Sai in the story now and they will stay with us for some chapters.**

 **All of you wanted me to include the ItaGaa ship, so I'll do that. However, this story focuses on Naruto and Sasuke. The relationship between Itachi and Gaara will be discussed but no smut scenes or something like that will be included, it just wouldn't fit. I hope you understand.**

 **Now, enjoy the chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, if I did, the ending would've been quite different *g* All characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.**

 **Warning: 16+ content. Boyxboy – don't like don't read!**

* * *

 **Chapter 23 The Comfort in the Despair**

„Good evening. What can I do for you?", the young police officer behind the desk asked, as soon as Sasuke and Naruto entered the police station some fifteen minutes after they'd cancelled their search for Konohamaru.

"Good evening. We're here to report someone missing", Sasuke said, sharing a worried glance with his husband.

"Okay. I need some further information about the person. Male or Female?", the officer wanted to know, opening a file on the computer in front of him to type in the necessary details.

"Male, 8 years old. Name's Sarutobi Konohamaru", Sasuke said, too impatient to wait for all the questions he already knew would follow.

The man looked up from his screen, furrowing his brows. "8 years old?", he repeated, worry now lacing his voice.

"Yeah. We are in temporary custody of him. His parents died a few years ago and his grandfather was hospitalized on Friday. The boy's registered in the foster care system", Sasuke added. It wasn't that hard to add two and two and know why the officer had suddenly sounded so concerned. They were all thinking the same – the boy had been abducted by whoever targeted almost abandoned children.

"He went missing this afternoon, after he hadn't shown up to his martial arts training. I went looking for him at his grandfather's house and found a broken glass and his school bag in the kitchen", Naruto further explained, babbling faster than ever, but the officer seemed to understand him anyway. He had long since given up on typing in the information and swallowed hard.

"Please follow me", he said, rounding the desk and leading the two men into the next door room. "I want to introduce you to the special elite force that arrived from Tokyo a few days ago. They agreed to take on the case of those kids".

The room they were lead into looked like it had been taken straight from a crime series. Boards plastered with photos, articles and shards, lined the walls, each of the dedicated to one of the victims. There were five desks in the middle of the room, all of them laden with files over files.

From the desk closest to them, a silver haired man looked up. His face lay hidden behind a mask and his left eye was covered by an eyepatch.

"Kakashi?", Sasuke asked in disbelief. He remembered all too well that his former martial arts trainer had moved to Tokyo to join a special force called ANBU, but never had he believed that they'd meet each other again like this.

"Sasuke? Naruto? What's going on here?", Kakashi asked, getting up from his chair, his one visible eye locked onto the poor police officer.

"They came to report a child missing. He's in the foster system", the man explained, before leaving the room again to retake his job at the front desk.

"It that true?", Kakashi said, turning to Sasuke and Naruto again. "Is there a possible fourth victim in Konoha?".

"Yes. His name is Sarutobi Konohamaru. He disappeared this afternoon", Naruto said, burying his hands in the pockets of his pants.

Kakashi sighed deeply and turned towards his still working team. "Sai, Yamato, Anko. I need you here", he said and three heads rose simultaneously. "Sasuke, Naruto, I want to introduce you to those three. We will have to do some explaining before we get to work on the case. There are some things you should know".

"What is it?", Naruto asked, his voice a bit harsher than usual, but who could blame him for it?

"This is Yamato", Kakashi said pointing at a brown haired man who had just joined them. His dark, almond shaped eyes took in the sight of the two men and he nodded at them. "He's the only person to ever have escaped Orochimaru".

"Orochimaru? Who's that?", Sasuke wanted to know, eyeing Yamato with a sideway glance.

"Orochimaru is the man who kidnaps and murders those children after experimenting on them", Kakashi answered matter-of-factly.

"So you're tellin' me that you already know who the kidnapper is?", Naruto asked, anger and disbelieve obvious in his voice.

"Yes, we know who he is, but we're unable to locate him at the moment. It seems he's gotten help because he never abducts the kids himself, but we don't know who's helping him. If we can find that person, we'll hopefully be able to find Orochimaru himself", Kakashi said with another sigh.

"What do you mean, he experiments on them?", Sasuke wanted to know.

"He's obsessed with immortality", answered Yamato. "He abducted me when I was still a baby and tried to create the perfect living being, unable to die. After years of injections, drugs and near death experiences I was able to flee, but ever since he's been kidnapping other children to continue his so called research. He once was a gifted and well known medic".

Naruto felt sick. This was all too much. There was a guy out there, who kidnaped foster children to experiment on them because he wanted to get closer to immortality? What kind of a sick world was this? Was Konohamaru suffering right now?

"H… How long?", he croaked, unable to control his shaking voice.

"A few weeks mostly. It depends on how strong the child is… how much Konohamaru can bare", the only woman in the group suddenly said. "I'm Anko. Orochimaru was my sensei when I was still in med school. I broke with him, when he started going form brilliant to insane and I joined this force to put an end to his crimes".

Naruto didn't really know what to say to that. He just looked at her, taking in her dark eyes and hair that was bound into a short spiky ponytail at the back of her head. She looked like someone you really didn't want to cross.

"Anko is very capable. Tell her all the details and important stuff about Konohamaru and she will come up with a profile of the victim which might also lead us to the abductor. I'm sure, if we find the link to the foster system, we'll also find Orochimaru", Kakashi said, walking over to a yet unused board. He took one of the pens and wrote in capital letters KONOHAMARU onto it. From then on, every tiny bit of information would be gathered there and hopefully all the clues would lead to Orochimaru in time before it was too late for Konohamaru.

"Okay, before you two leave, I need you to sit down with Sai. He's our composite sketch artist. As I don't think that you own any photos of Konohamaru, Sai will have to draw him, so we can put up his image everywhere in the city. It heightens the chances of him being recognized in case Orochimaru takes him somewhere and it means more pressure to the suspect", Kakashi turned back to Sasuke and Naruto nodding into the direction of the third member of the ANBU force.

"Why don't we just take a photo from Hiruzen's house?", Naruto asked, knitting his brows. He wasn't exactly sure how well he'd be able to describe a person. But then again, had he not also studied arts for years and knew exactly what kind of information the artist would need?

"If, what you say is true, and the boy got kidnaped in his grandfather's house, that house if off now a crime scene and I wouldn't take a speck of dust from the place that isn't needed", Kakashi explained, motioning for Naruto and Sasuke to walk over to Sai.

Sai was almost Naruto's height, but otherwise looked more like Sasuke. He had black hair and dark eyes, pale skin and was probably the skinniest person Naruto's knew. The smile on his face though looked a bit… weird. Like it had been forced onto his lips or something.

"I'm Sai", he said, flashing that strange smile again. "Please sit down". He pointed at the two chairs in front of his desk and waited for Naruto and Sasuke to take their seats. The whole desk was laden with pens, brushes, inks and paper.

"You still draw them by hand?", Sasuke asked, raising an eyebrow at the dark haired man. Usually people now used computer programs, but it seemed Sai was one to stick with the old fashioned approach.

"Yes I do. No program can copy what I can do by hand", Sai answered that smile still plastered to his face like it was stuck there. It just wouldn't really fit and yet Naruto didn't know why that was.

"So, dickless, let's get started", Sai added, turning his attention to Naruto as he reached for his pencils.

"What? Dickless?", Naruto said, taken aback by the strange nickname. He could feel Sasuke tense up next to him, his knuckles white as he flexed his hands.

"Yeah, you look like a guy with a small dick. But if I'm wrong with my assumption I'd be all too happy to have a closer look once we're done here", Sai answered smiling like an innocent child and as if he'd not just insulted Naruto, while at the same moment practically asking him for sex.

"How about you stop harassing my husband and do your work?", Sasuke interrupted, his eyebrows twitching in annoyance of the strange man. What was it with people hitting on Naruto lately? Usually they'd been all over Sasuke but ever since he'd almost fucked up their marriage it seemed that everyone wanted to get into Naruto's pants.

"Jealous much?", Sai asked, snickering.

"Only establishing that he's already taken", Sasuke replied with a smirk. He wouldn't let that creep lay a hand on _his_ Naruto.

Naruto huffed and folded his hands on the table. "How about we stop this bullshit and start with the facial composite?", he said, his voice harder than usual but with the life of a child on the line Naruto's patience was running thin.

"Of course. You're right", Sai agreed, throwing Sasuke another glance before he looked back to Naruto expectantly.

They spent the following two hours with Sai and his pencils, Naruto describing not only Konohamaru's face and hair, but also what he was wearing today and a few little details, like the glim in his eyes and the way his eyebrows were shaped differently from one another. It took them a while, but Sai, not matter how strange, was a talented artist and in the end Naruto was pleased with the result.

"Anything else we need to know about the boy?", Kakashi asked, after he'd looked at the drawing.

"One of his front teeth is currently missing", Naruto answered. Sai had drawn Konohamaru with his mouth closed, leaving no opportunity to add that small detail to the picture.

"Good. We'll copy this and plaster them all over the city. Maybe someone has seen the guy who took him, because it sure as hell wasn't Orochimaru himself", Kakashi rubbed his temples while he spoke, his one visible eye closing for a second.

"What does he look like? That Orochimaru-guy?", Sasuke wanted to know. He had always felt better knowing his opponent and even if this was not a martial arts tournament, seeing the face of the guy could only be helpful.

Kakashi sighed again and reached for another one of Sai's drawings. "This is him", he said, handing the sheet to Sasuke and Naruto. The man on the picture was strange to say the least. The drawing was only black-and-white but it wasn't too hard to imagine what he would look like with colours. Long, dark, almost black hair, pale skin and a wide mouth. The eyes strangely shaped and probably of an unnatural colour. Looking at those features, Naruto felt like he watching a snake. It was creepy.

"What has he done, to look like that?", Naruto asked, raising his eyes from the printing to look at Kakashi again.

"Plastic surgery and a lot of experiments. It's not only his victims, he uses for his so called 'science', but also his own body", Yamato explained, walking up behind Naruto. "I watched him doing it for years".

Naruto blinked. How could anyone be that mad to experiment on his own body, turning it into something that looked far more like an amphibian than a human being?

"Is that what he's going to do to Konohamaru?", Naruto inquired, his brows furrowed and his expression darkening.

"You don't want to know what he's going to do… but no… not that", Yamato said, shaking his head. Sasuke watched the man very carefully. All his movements were measured, his voice sparsely betrayed any kind of emotion. Whatever had happened to him, it had left him scarred for life.

"No, you really don't want to know", Kakashi agreed. "Sasuke, Naruto. I want you to go home now. A CSI squad was already sent to Sarutobi-san's house. If there is any news about Konohmaru, I'll call you, but for now we need to do our job, and if we do it well, the boy will be back with you soon".

Sasuke nodded and put his arm around Naruto's waist. Not because he considered him weak, but because he knew that his energetic husband wouldn't like being kicked out of police headquarters. Usually, Naruto would charge head over heels into anything that threatened someone he loved, but this time he had to keep his cool if he didn't want to risk the investigation.

"Is there really nothing else we can do?", Naruto asked, glaring at Sasuke. Of course he knew what the gesture meant. Sasuke was telling him to just do as Kakashi asked, but how could he go home and put his feet up while Konohamaru fought for his life?

"No, Naruto, there's nothing. All you can do is go home and wait for Konohamaru's return. Prepare yourself for what is to come, once we find the boy", Kakashi answered, pointing towards the exit. It was an unmistakeable hint that he wanted them to leave now.

For Naruto, it was quite hard to follow that wish, but Sasuke had put one of his hands on the small of Naruto's back, guiding him towards the door and Naruto was far too exhausted to really complain, even if he didn't like being treated like this one bit.

* * *

Driving around the corner and into the street they lived in, Naruto could already see the lights of the CSI cars in front of Hiruzen's house. Something heavy and cold settled in his stomach as he watched men and women come and go, carrying all kinds of stuff inside that would maybe help them find clues on what had happened to Konohamaru.

"Do you think they'll find him?", Naruto asked Sasuke by the time they entered their house and put their shoes on the shoe rack.

Sasuke took Naruto's jacket from him and furrowed his brows. "Kakashi's team is the best there is. If they can't find him, no one will". He knew the words weren't exactly encouraging, but Sasuke had never been one to sugar coat harsh realities. And this was probably the worst it could get, but he still didn't want to give Naruto false hope. The situation was precarious and no amount of nice words could ever change that.

Naruto sighed. "You're right. I should trust Kakashi to find him… it's just… I don't know. Seeing what this guy did to his own body makes me wonder he could do to Konohamaru", he said, walking down the hallway to their living room. He really needed the comfort of a sofa and a warm blanket right now.

"You shouldn't think about that", Sasuke replied as he stood behind Naruto, who had just sat down in the couch, and put his hands on Naruto's shoulders, massaging them softly. The muscles were hard and tense under his fingers, proving how strained Naruto felt at the moment.

It wasn't only the fact that Konohamaru had disappeared, but also that Naruto blamed himself for it. The boy had gone missing while he'd been responsible for him after all. Had he not told that creepy child care worker that he and Sasuke were very well capable to taking care of a kid? Well, they'd failed only twenty-four hours later.

"I can't help it. What if he's hurt just because I couldn't keep him safe?", Naruto replied, shaking his head slightly. He would never forgive himself if something happened to Konohamaru.

"It's not your fault, Naruto", Sasuke said. He kept kneading the hard knots from his husband's shoulders, his voice steady and calm. When Naruto was swallowed by the storm, Sasuke had to be his rock and that he would be. "No one could have known, Konohamaru would go to Hiruzen's house today. There was no way to stop that", he added. Sometimes it was hard to reason with a thickhead like Naruto.

"Sasuke, that's not true", Naruto countered, half turning on his seat to look at the man behind him, his eyes narrowed and a frown very prominent between his brows. "I should have known. After losing his parents, the shock of seeing his grandpa hospitalized was just too much. It's only natural that he would go someplace familiar to seek comfort".

Sasuke stopped massaging Naruto's shoulders and ran a hand through his hair as his walked around the sofa and sat down next to his husband. "You're right, it was only natural. But he's usually very conscientious. You just had to believe that he would call you in case he didn't feel like training today".

"God, I'm so stupid…", Naruto groaned, falling against Sasuke and burying his face in the crook of his neck. It didn't happen often that he sought physical comfort like this, but today was a special day it seemed. While Naruto was an affectionate person, he tended to keep to himself when truly hurt. That he now leaned against Sasuke for support meant that the situation really was worse than anything ever before and that he fully trusted his husband again. It made Sasuke's feel warm and ice cold at the same time.

"Don't beat yourself up over this. Kakashi will do everything he can to find Konohamaru and get that Orochimaru guy busted", Sasuke assured, raising his hands to put them on Naruto's back. He didn't dare stroke him, because he feared that would be too much for him right now, but a simple touch hopefully wouldn't have Naruto retreat from him.

"Is there really nothing we can do to help?", Naruto muttered, his voice muffled by Sasuke's skin against which he spoke, dampening it with his breath. He'd never been good at just sitting idle while others did the work, especially not when someone he cared for was at stake.

"Well, by waiting for Kakashi and maybe answer the questions he might come up with during the investigation, we'll be of help. We are the only source ANBU can rely on with Hiruzen still unconscious, so yes, we are helping already, just not by mindlessly darting into danger", Sasuke said, the warning evident in his voice. He knew what Naruto was thinking about: Just let Kakashi do his investigation and start looking for Orochimaru and Konohamaru by themselves.

"I'm sure we could pull it off. I mean, we know he targets kids in the foster system. I know my way around the youth welfare office. I can just go there and we start looking for them this way. Maybe we'll find something that will help Kakashi", Naruto proposed, raising his head to meat Sasuke's gaze. He felt so helpless and powerless, it was unbearable.

"No, Naruto. If anything goes wrong, we might just alert the person who helps Orochimaru abduct those kids and if that happens they might disappear with Konohamaru. It's too dangerous", Sasuke objected, knowing that his husband wouldn't take that too well, but would also be grateful once their ward was safely back at home.

Naruto sighed and fell back onto the mattress, knees bent, folding his arms behind his head and staring at the ceiling as if it held the answers to all the challenges they were facing right now. Sasuke seized the opportunity and crawled over to his husband, placing one hand on each side of his head and hovering above him. "Let me distract you?", he asked, not daring to smile when Naruto was like this.

Blue eyes found black ones and held their gaze for a long moment in silence. "Sasuke… I… I'm not sure I'm in the mood to-", a delicate finger stopped Naruto from speaking as it was placed on his lips.

"Stop thinking, dobe. You'll hurt your head", Sasuke said, leaning down to kiss his husband and practically swallow all objections he might give. Sometimes you have to take the lead.

And Naruto closed his eyes at the sensation, giving into Sasuke's efforts to ease the pain in his chest for at least a little while. He raised his hands and ran them through silky black strands, deepening the kiss while Sasuke fumbled with the buckle of his belt, freeing Naruto's hips from his pants as soon as he'd opened them and shoving the annoying fabric down.

"Just feel, Naruto. Forget about everything else", Sasuke whispered, gliding down and leaving open mouthed kisses along Naruto's abs until he reached his cock and darted his tongue out to sensually lick the still soft flesh.

Naruto parted his lips, his breath hitching in his throat. God, no matter how bad he felt, Sasuke was a genius at distracting and comforting him. He didn't want to make his husband shut up about Konohamaru or replace emotional pain by physical pleasure. This was about something else entirely. Sasuke tried to comfort him and knew that Naruto wasn't the type of guy to just cry his eyes out, he needed a different kind of relieve and maybe physical affection could do the deed.

"God… Sasuke, that feels good", Naruto said, closing his eyes as Sasuke took his cock into his mouth and gave few experimental sucks while his tongue flicked across the sensitive head. The feeling was enough make Naruto hard within seconds.

His mind was still in turmoil, but that didn't mean that he couldn't feel pleasure and slowly, with every suck, lick and nibbling, the storm seemed to settle down further until Naruto fisted his hands into the armrest above his head, while his body shook with heat and his brain had ceased functioning all together.

Sasuke's hands rested on Naruto's hips, holding them firmly in place as the man beneath him moaned lewdly and tried to thrust up into the warmth that swallowed him. Sharp teeth ran over hot flesh, not hard enough to cause pain, but applying as much pressure as needed to spice the act up.

"Nnnnaaahhhh… fucking tease…", Naruto groaned, head tilted back and digging his heels into the sofa to support his trembling body.

"You like it that way", Sasuke said, briefly releasing Naruto's twitching, angry red cock that glistened with saliva and precum.

"You know me to well, bastard", Naruto replied, hissing as his overheated dick met cool air. The desperate, needy feeling curling in his guts was getting worse and he sighed in relieve when those pale lips closed around Naruto's erection again, resuming their ministrations.

One cool hand slid under Naruto's shirt, tracing the ridges and planes of his muscles until it reached a pink, delicate nipple to play with, while the other one kept its grip on his hips. The additional stimulation sent waves of electricity down Naruto spine and had him bit his bottom lip hard to keep himself from breaking free of Sasuke's grip and thrusting into his mouth.

Naruto knew he was close and he was pretty sure, Sasuke knew that as well, because he let go of Narutos nipple and instead placed his index finger on the abused bottom lip. "Suck it", he commanded, his voice like liquid velvet and his eyes bright with a very strange kind of glee that made Naruto shiver as he obediently opened his mouth and ran his tongue along Sasuke's finger.

The burning heat in his crotch at subsided a little by the time he released said finger again, leaving him with the hollow feeling of an uncompleted orgasm that was soon replaced by slowly rebuilding pleasure as Sasuke began to suck him off again, simultaneously inserting one finger into Naruto.

"Ahhhh… God… Sasuke… keep that up… fuck… I'm close", Naruto moaned, his nails probably leaving marks in the fabric of the sofa as he clung to the armrest.

Sasuke chuckled around Naruto's cock, sending low vibrations through his body, while he curled his finger up, thrusting right into his prostate, which sent Naruto crashing over the edge. Warm, sticky liquid spread over Sasuke's tongue as he kept licking the now softening flesh.

Naruto trembled in his post-orgasmic high, his body feeling blissfully spent and exhausted and his breath coming in harsh puffs. "That was… wow…", he panted, locking gazes with Sasuke, who smiled at him a little and leaned down to peck him on the lips.

"Glad I could help", he replied, wrapping his arms around his husband. A bit of snuggling wouldn't kill him he guessed, even if he would never admit it if asked. Naruto sighed and leaned his forehead against Sasuke's shoulder. Today had been the worst day of his life, but he wasn't alone in this mess and that he was thankful for.

* * *

Next morning, Naruto called Gaara, telling him that he'd again not show up for work today and Gaara fortunately told his best friend to just focus on the important things at hand instead of worrying about not coming to the dojo. Gaara could handle their students very well on his own for some days.

It wasn't until almost noon that their phone rang again with Kakashi on the other end of the line, asking them to come to the police station to answer some questions that had popped up since yesterday evening and Naruto had been more than eager to go and finally contribute to the case.

Half an hour later, they walked into the ANBU investigation room, where Kakashi was already waiting for them, reading a book that Naruto immediately recognized as part of the Icha-Icha-Series Jiraiya had written.

"Sasuke, Naruto. Good, you're here", he said without getting up from his chair, but instead pointing for the couple to take a seat. "We already found something we need to talk to you about".

Sharing a glance, Naruto and Sasuke sat down, expectantly looking at the chief investigator who reached for a file next to him on the table, opened it and took a small card that reminded Naruto of a Trading Card Game, out of said file.

The card showed a photo of Konohamaru, probably the one on the foster system's server, and some additional information like age, family, school and statistics about his physical health. It was unnerving to see that much detail poured into so small a card. With just this, someone would know the most essential things about Konohamaru.

"Where did you get this?", Naruto asked, not daring to reach out for the card. Kakashi himself was wearing gloves when he touched it.

"We found it under the kitchen counter. Must have slid there during the struggle that also broke the glass", Kakashi explained, then narrowed his one visible eye. "We've never seen anything like this before, but maybe you have. Does this belong to Konohamaru?".

"No it doesn't. But I know whom it belongs to", Sasuke interrupted, making the other two men turn their heads towards him.

"What?", Naruto exclaimed in surprise. He'd just been about to say that he'd never seen anything like this on Konohamaru.

"The card belongs to a guy named Yakushi Kabuto. He works in the youth welfare office", Sasuke went on, not bothered by his husband's expression. Back when they'd gotten custody of Konohamaru, Sasuke had thought that he knew the man behind the desk, and he could finally pinpoint form where.

"Are you sure? What makes you think that?", Kakashi asked somewhere between hope and suspicion.

"I have seen cards similar to this one before. Yakushi-san went to school with my older brother Itachi. They weren't close, but they had to work on a project together once and when Yakushi came over to our house because he lived in an orphanage and couldn't bring anyone, he had a box full of cards that looked exactly like this one. He used them for studying back then", Sasuke explained, folding his hands on the table, careful to avoid touching the evidence.

"You knew him? Why didn't you say something in his office?", Naruto wanted to know before Kakashi even got the chance to ask something.

"I didn't recognize him. It was the card that made me realize who he is", replied Sasuke. He knew Naruto wasn't accusing him of anything and just kept his cool, even if his husband looked a little shocked right now.

"What else do you know about this Yakushi Kabuto?", Kakashi asked, focusing on the things at hand instead of matters that weren't directly connected to the case.

"Not much to be honest. I know which orphanage he lived in, but he had to move out at the age of 18. No idea where he lives nowadays", Sasuke shook his head and closed his eyes for a moment.

"Okay, doesn't matter. That we'll be able to find out. Thank you for telling me this, but I need you to leave now. My team and I have to discuss how we'll proceeded from here on. If these cards belong to Yakushi-san it's highly likely that he's the missing connection to the foster system. He grew up in it and works at the office today. He knows how to get close to the victims", Kakashi rose from his seat and took card and file with him.

Naruto still wanted to say something, but knew that no further words were appreciated, so instead he just followed Sasuke out of the building and into their car.

"This guy… Kabuto… how was he? I mean… as a teenager…", Naruto asked, turning his head to Sasuke who sat behind the steering wheel, gaze focused on the street.

"Already quite strange. He lived in the Orphanage of the Good Shepherd. You know, the catholic one? That's at least what he told me when he visited. I didn't talk much to him otherwise, because he showed a very creepy fascination with anatomy at the time, talking about how he wanted to become a doctor and stuff…", answered Sasuke. Was it really possible that the strange teenager from thence had changed into a psychopath who abducted children to have his master experiment on them?

"Yeah, I know the place. Never been there myself, but other kids used to talk about the Good Shepherd", Naruto said, his voice strangely rough and thick. He'd turned his head away again and looked out of the window.

The orphanage… if Kabuto had spent his entire youth there, he would be quite attached to the place. It must have been horrible to be kicked out once he turned 18. Naruto, who had gone from one family to the next had never felt at home anywhere, but things must have been different for Kabuto he guessed. Without parents, the nuns who ran the place had probably been his closest relations.

Naruto furrowed his brows. It sounded quite unbelievable that Kabuto would just forget about the place and move on with his life. But then again… maybe he hadn't… maybe there was still a connection to his old home… something that remained hidden from outsiders because none of them could relate to what a foster child felt like… but Naruto could. He knew the world they'd both grown up in and he would find the connection.

He looked at Sasuke from the corner of his eyes. No, he couldn't take his husband with him. This was something Naruto had to do on his own. Endangering Sasuke was just something he couldn't do. He would go alone and he would go tonight.

* * *

 **To be continued…**

 **That's it. Naruto being Naruto will be part of the next chapter hihi. Is anyone surprised that Orochimaru came up? I hinted at him several times before in earlier chapters, but it seems I was subtle enough to keep the mystery up until now (that at least what I hope).**

 **Last but not least, I want to assure you that there might be drama coming, but now is going to die and no one's going to get seriously hurt! I just love all the characters too much to make them suffer – poor babies! If you want to know what's gonna happen, stay tuned!**


	24. The Light in The Darkness

**Hi everyone!**

 **Happy New Year to all of you!**

 **I'm sorry that it took me so long to finally finish this chapter, but it was the hardest to write so far and I suffered from a sever writer's block. I would sit in front of the pc for hours and no words would come out. It was maddening… But somehow in the end I got over it, and the chapter is finished. I still don't know how and why XD**

 **This is probably the angstiest part of the story, but I promise it won't go on forever and keep in mind that I don't like sad endings! I want to thank all of you for your constant support for this story! Thank you so much guys! Now, enjoy the chapter and please don't hit me afterwards!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, if I did, the ending would've been quite different *g* All characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.**

* * *

 **Chapter 24 The Light in The Darkness**

Naruto curiously looked at the ceiling above him, listening for the sound of water running in the bathroom. Ever since they'd come home from the police station, he'd been waiting for a moment alone, with Sasuke's attention focused on something other than Naruto.

Of course his husband had sensed that something was up, but Naruto had hopefully been able to make him believe that it was only his worry for Konohamaru and not his plan to sneak out of the house first chance he got, to drive to the Good Sheppard and look for clues on Kabuto. Naruto was sure he would find something at the man's old home. Being a foster child himself, Naruto knew the longing for something like 'home' those uprooted kids felt. He had found his home in Sasuke, but others had strong connections to the places they spent the most time at, which in Kabuto's case was the orphanage.

However, so far Sasuke been around Naruto all the time, leaving him without an opportunity to silently exit their house. Naruto's decision not to take his husband with him was still standing. He wouldn't put him in danger just because Naruto couldn't stand idly by and wait for the police to do their job. He just had to do something.

Considerably great had been his relieve, when Sasuke had finally announced to go and take a shower. The sound would be loud enough to cover closing doors and even the starting engine, providing the perfect opportunity to leave unnoticed.

Naruto knew it wasn't fair to plan such a dangerous task all on his own and let Sasuke deal with the reality of his disappearance later on, but he also knew that his husband would do anything in his power to stop him if he learnt of his plans. No, this had to be done alone and in secrecy. He could still apologize later.

Treading as silently as he could, Naruto walked down the hallway and put his shoes and jacket on. Fortunately, Sasuke was the kind of guy who could shower for hours, just standing there, letting the hot water wash away the tension in his shoulders and after two days as eventful as these, he surely would stay in the shower until he got all wrinkled. Naruto would be long gone before Sasuke realized that something was amiss.

Half an hour later, Naruto pulled over in a street two blocks away from the orphanage as not to draw any attention towards himself just yet. He didn't know what he was up against and if Kabuto kept some of his secrets at the place it was likely that he'd stop by every now and then. Naruto wanted to keep a low profile just in case. Wouldn't do him or Konohamaru any good if one of the sisters running the place, reported a strange man sneaking around to Kabuto.

The building itself, Naruto noticed as he rounded the corner, had definitely seen better days, but as far as he knew it had been around since the early twentieth century. It shouldn't surprise him that some renovations were in order. The colour, once probably a bright yellow that matched the sun at noon, had darkened from rain and dirt and was chipped off in many places.

There was an old fence gate, separating the orphanage grounds from the sidewalk, leading into what was once a proper front yard. Today, all kinds of weeds were growing between the flagstones, making them dangerous to trip over.

Naruto slipped past the half open gate, careful not to move it as he wasn't sure that it wouldn't squeak, and walked around the building. The old windows were milky and it was hard to see through them, but that wasn't primarily why Naruto had come here. He couldn't enter the orphanage without being noticed, meaning that whatever Kabuto had hidden inside was out of Naruto's reach anyway. Better to focus on what could be found outside.

During his own childhood days, he'd tented to dig or built little hiding places outside the houses of his foster parents to keep things hidden especially from the other children in the household. He was sure the others had done the same and Kabuto probably too. It was highly likely that he hid something in the backyard.

Walking through what was once probably a nice garden for children to play in, Naruto gazed around in search of possible hiding places, until he reached the stone wall at the far end of the yard. He took a stick from the ground and tapped it against the stones. He would bet at least one of them was loose and turned into a hiding place. After testing a good dozen or so, Naruto finally found one that could be taken out of the wall, but there was nothing but love letters hidden in there.

However, there were a lot of stones still waiting for him and after three others, all holes filled with trash, Naruto found a stone at the very base of the wall that looked like someone had tried to hide the fact that it could be extracted.

Furrowing his brows, Naruto bent down and worked the stick along the edges of the stone, before he used his fingernails to finally pull it out and put it aside.

Jackpot! There, in a small void inside the wall sat a very neat stack of cards, looking exactly the same as the one featuring Konohamaru's data. This was Kabuto's little treasure; Naruto was sure of it. He knew that he wasn't allowed to touch anything if he didn't want to destroy evidence, but that didn't mean that he couldn't take a picture of what he'd found. Afterwards, he would put everything back to the way it belonged.

Nodding to himself, Naruto got on his knees and took out his phone, pressing the camera button to open the app and document Kabuto's stash. The police would surely come to investigate and maybe even go inside the house and look of evidence in there. It wouldn't surprise Naruto, if Kabuto had been smart enough to have different hiding places, just in case one of them was found by accident.

However, Naruto never got to take the picture he'd intended to. Just as he was about to take it, he felt something hard and cold collide with the back of his head. A pain sharp like a bullet hole made lights dance in front of his eyes and he could feel his phone slip from his suddenly numb fingers only a heartbeat before everything went black.

* * *

Sasuke stepped out of the shower and reached for one of the towels on the cupboard in the corner to dry himself off. He'd stayed under the warm water for quite some time, letting the warmth massage the tension out of his stiff shoulders. So much had happened these fast few days that it seemed like a dream to him that only a few weeks ago he'd been Tokyo, determined to never see Naruto again.

He sighed and raised the hand with his wedding ring. When all this was over they would have to confront Sasuke's father about the broken engagement with Karin. This was likely to get ugly, but Sasuke was prepared for that. He wouldn't let Fugaku take his happiness from him a second time.

Deeming himself dry enough, Sasuke wrapped the towel around his waist and left the bathroom. He could have gotten dressed right away, but decided to go look for Naruto first. His husband would certainly appreciate the sight.

He walked down the stairs and into the kitchen to get some juice from the fridge. The TV was running in the living room and Sasuke would almost bet that Naruto was sitting in front of it watching without seeing while his mind was still focused on Konohamaru. "How about we watch a movie or something?", he asked, but didn't receive and answer.

Furrowing his brows, Sasuke closed the fridge and turned towards the living room. "Naruto?", he called. "Are you sleeping?". Yes, the question wasn't very smart. If Naruto had indeed fallen asleep on the couch, he probably wouldn't reply. Real smart Uchiha.

"Naruto?", Sasuke called again, now entering the room only to find it empty, no sleeping husband on the sofa or anything. Had he gone to bed already? Sasuke was slightly worried. That just wasn't like Naruto, not even on stressful days. On the contrary, eventful times usually kept Naruto from sleeping, letting him stay up all night, being too anxious to rest.

It wasn't surprising to Sasuke that he found the bedroom just as empty as the living room and he didn't even attempt to look for Naruto in the guest room, as he was sure by now that his husband had left the house.

A strange dread settled in his guts as Sasuke practically ran down the stairs, taking two steps at a time and down the hallway only to find Naruto's shoes and jacket indeed missing. He was gone. Probably investigating on his own and putting himself in danger.

Fear wrapped its cold fingers around Sasuke's heart, holding it in fierce grip. Hand trembling, he reached for his phone on the sideboard by the door and choose Itachi's name from amongst his contacts. Never before in his life had the few seconds of waiting till his brother took the call been longer.

"Sasuke? Any news on Konohamaru?", Itachi greeted, not beating around the bush as there was obviously no other reason for his brother to call at the time.

"Yes, but that's not the point. Itachi, Naruto is gone. I think he's trying to find Konohamaru on his own", Sasuke said, his voice shaking. God, he'd almost lost Naruto once, he didn't know what to do if anything were to happen to him.

"What do you mean 'gone'?", Itachi asked and Sasuke could hear some rustling in the background that sounded a lot like his brother getting ready to leave his hotel room to probably come over to their place.

"The police found clues on who might be behind the kidnappings and I think that Naruto's taking matters into his own hands", Sasuke explained, nervously walking up and down the hallway, running his free hand through his still damp hair.

"Could it be that he's just gone for a walk or to the supermarket?", Itachi wanted to know, obviously trying to calm his anxious brother down.

"I don't think so. Naruto's not the type for walks… and he had no reason to do grocery shopping, his Ramen cupboard is stuffed to the brim. No, listen, he's been too quite all day. I thought he was upset about what happened and blamed himself, which he probably does, but he was planning something", Sasuke answered, panting slightly at how fast the words fell from his lips without leaving him time to catch his breath.

"Okay, stay where you are. I don't want you driving in your current state. I'm on my way. Inform the police about what has happened and I'll take you to the station as soon as I get to your place, alright?".

"Fine. I'll wait for you… just… just hurry", Sasuke replied unable to calm down and think clearly when the line went dead.

No matter how difficult his relationship with Itachi could be, in times of need they'd always stand together and Sasuke was thankful for that. When all this was over, and Naruto hopefully save at home, Sasuke would have to properly thank his brother for all the support he'd given him since Sasuke had left Tokyo.

His hands still trembling, Sasuke searched for Kakashi's number and started the call, waiting for the monotonous 'beep … beep' to change into the familiar voice of his former teacher.

"Sasuke?", Kakashi asked, surprise obvious in his voice at the unexpected call.

"Kakashi, I think Naruto has gone off to investigate on his own. He isn't at home and he didn't leave a message where he went. It's just like him to take matters into his own hands", Sasuke said, knowing that he might get Naruto into trouble for this, but his safety was more important.

"Any idea where he might have gone?", Kakashi wanted to know with a heavy sigh. He'd known Naruto as a teenager of course, even if the boy had mainly trained with Jiraiya, and he'd been hot headed even then.

"I suspect the orphanage to be honest. He must feel somehow connected to Kabuto due to their shared experience with the foster system", answered Sasuke, fumbling with a pen he'd taken from the sideboard to keep his hands busy.

"I'll sent a team there to check and I want you to come to the office as soon as possible. If Naruto really has gone after Kabuto, we might need your help in finding him. Stupid boy. Why can't he do for once what he's told?", there was another sigh at the end on the line and Sasuke agreed to be at the police station as fast as he could.

With the line dead again, Sasuke rushed upstairs and got dressed in whatever he found first in his dresser, not caring what he looked like and got ready for Itachi to arrive. He wouldn't waste a second when maybe Naruto's life was on the line.

"What did Kakashi say?", asked Itachi, once Sasuke sat safely in the passenger's seat, the lights of the street flying by as they drove towards the police station.

"He sent a team to the orphanage where Kabuto was raised. Maybe that's where Naruto's searching for clues or whatever he thinks he's doing", said Sasuke, still nervous and anxious. He'd tried to call Naruto on his phone while waiting for Itachi, but he hadn't picked up. That meant he either didn't hear it was to… occupied… with whatever to do so.

"Maybe there will be news already when we arrive", Itachi said as calmly as possible, but his voice still held a strange edge that Sasuke didn't know how to interpret. Was it that Itachi shared the same bad feeling Sasuke had? Because no matter what he did, he just couldn't get rid of the thought that something bad had happened.

They spent the rest of the way in silence and Sasuke practically jumped out of the car once they pulled over in front of the police station, leaving it to his brother to properly park the car.

It was busy inside, with a steady stream of people coming and going as it was May already and they were very well heading into Golden Week, tourists flogging to the cities and reporting stolen goods by the second.

However, Sasuke just choose to ignore the queue in front of the officer in charge, but walked straight past him into the room where he knew ANBU had its headquarters.

Kakashi looked up from the files on his desk as soon as the door slid open, nodding at Sasuke, who crossed the room with just a few strides, coming to a hold right next to his former teacher, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

There was something strange in those obsidian eyes; something Kakashi had never seen like that before and he somehow didn't want to find out what would happen to Sasuke, if the worst happened to Naruto. Somehow there was an edge of instability in those eyes that told Kakashi that Sasuke wasn't good at dealing with loss.

"Did you find him already?", Sasuke asked, his voice so harsh, Kakashi could only guess that it was his way of keeping it from trembling. They both turned their heads as the door slid open again, revealing the tall figure of Uchiha Itachi, who nodded at Kakashi respectfully.

"No, my team hasn't returned, yet. All we can do for now, is wait. And I do hope that you're better at it than your husband. No more playing a lone hand, am I understood?", Kakashi said, his one visible eye boring into Sasuke's.

Sasuke sighed and nodded. What was he to do, anyway? Run out of the door and drive to the orphanage himself? Kakashi and Itachi would stop him before he ever reached the door. No, there was really nothing he could do right now, except to wait.

The fear in his chest was still squeezing his heart and no matter how hard he tried to stifle the feeling, it just wouldn't go away and Itachi was probably seeing right through his mask of anger, down to the core where there was nothing left but the intense fear of losing Naruto.

"Take a seat, you two", Kakashi said, pointing towards two chairs lining the wall and Sasuke sat down on one of them, turning the ring on his finger nervously to keep his hands busy while he stared at the clock.

He didn't know how long he and Itachi had been waiting in shared silence, when the door slid open again, the clock making no sense to him at the moment, and Sasuke raised his head to see who'd just entered the room, only to be greeted by a very angry Gaara, who had him by the collar in the blink of an eye.

"What the fuck, Sabaku?", Sasuke exclaimed, closing his hands around Gaara's fists as he was pulled off his chair and into a standing position.

"Where is he?", Gaara asked, his voice low and dangerous, his fists so tightly closed around Sasuke's collar that his knuckles were white from the force.

"I don't know, okay? I'm waiting just as much as you do!", Sasuke replied, struggling to get out of Gaara's hold, but the other man wasn't a martial arts teacher for nothing. He was obviously stronger than Sasuke, who hadn't properly trained in years.

"Stop it, you two", Itachi interfered, his voice calm and steady, but holding an edge that told both men that he wouldn't hesitate to have them kicked out of the office if they kept fighting.

"He was supposed to keep him save!", Gaara accused, without taking his eyes off Sasuke.

"Naruto is a grown man. He makes his own decisions. No one could have kept him save. Now let go of my brother, Gaara. That's not what I called you here for", Itachi reasoned, as he placed his hand on Gaara's shoulder, applying gentle pressure.

He'd informed the other man about the situation because he knew that deep down Gaara cared very much about Naruto and that he'd want to know if he best friend was probably in danger. Also, Gaara had spent the last five years close to Naruto, while Sasuke had been hundreds of miles away, living an entirely different life. Right now, Gaara knew Naruto better than Sasuke did and maybe he'd be able to provide valuable information if needed.

"He's right, Itachi. I should have kept an eye on him. I was sloppy and now Naruto's in danger", Sasuke admitted, relaxing his Gaara's hold.

Clear aqua eyes watched him for a moment, before letting go of Sasuke's collar. "I don't need to hit you. You're beating yourself up about this enough already", Gaara said matter-of-factly and turned towards Itachi. "Thank you for calling me".

"I thought you'd want to be here", Itachi replied, closing his eyes for a moment as if to find a brief moment of peace in all this madness.

Sasuke sat back down. He didn't feel like talking to either his brother or Gaara. But it was true, wasn't it? He'd underestimated the situation and now Naruto was God knows where. They could do nothing but wait.

"Have you tried calling him?", Kakashi suddenly asked, looking over his shoulder towards the three waiting men. He hadn't even bothered to take action when Gaara had rushed over to Sasuke, sure that Itachi knew what he was doing. He always did.

"Yeah, I did. But he never picked up", Sasuke answered, supressing the sigh that threatened to come over his lips.

Kakashi just nodded and turned back to his files, probably working on something that he wouldn't tell Sasuke even if he asked. Shaking his head, he drowned out the low conversation going on between his brother and Gaara, not caring enough at the moment to wonder since when those two got along so well.

Time ticked away again and after what felt like hours, but could very well have just been minutes, a team of police men walked through the door, all of them looking grim.

Kakashi got up from his chair, shooting Sasuke a warning glance. He was in charge of the case and he would talk to them first before telling anyone whatever information he deemed save to tell. Sasuke wasn't exactly fond of that, but he knew that he had to accept it.

The policemen and Kakashi talked in hushed voices, while Sasuke kept trying catch bits and pieces of what they were saying. Even Itachi and Gaara had fallen silent next to him; all three of them tense about what was going on.

Well, Naruto wasn't with them. That meant he was either outside in the car or they hadn't found him yet. Fumbling with his wedding ring again, Sasuke watched as something he couldn't properly see was handed to a nodding Kakashi, who bid his men goodbye afterwards and headed over to were Sasuke was waiting.

"That Naruto phone?", he asked, holding the small device out for all three of them to look at. Sasuke would have recognized that bight orange phone case with the little foxes everywhere. It practically screamed 'Naruto'.

"Yes, that's his", Gaara said, before Sasuke even got the chance to open his mouth. He got up from his seat, too nervous to wait now.

"Where did you find it?", he asked, unable to conceal the fear in his voice this time. Naruto had lost his phone and the police had found it. This couldn't be good.

"On the ground behind the orphanage. It seems your instincts were right and that's exactly where he's gone. The area around the place where it was found looks like something big had been moved. Sanding marks. As of now, we consider Uzumaki Naruto a missing person and it is highly likely that Kabuto got him. Good news is, we'll be able to search the whole building now that it seems like there is indeed a connection", Kakashi explained, his expression pained while he spoke.

Sasuke swallowed hard and felt his brother put a hand on his shoulder. It wasn't surprising, was it? If Naruto had been alright he would have called by now or they would have found him. He wasn't okay… for all they knew he could be dead somewhere…

The though alone was enough to rip at Sasuke's very core.

"Do you… do you think…", he rasped, the question never fully leaving his lips as the thought was too much to voice.

Kakashi watched him in concern. Those onyx eyes where wide and the strange edge he'd seen before was getting more prominent now. How close was Sasuke really treading to madness? How thin was the line?

"There was blood at the crime scene, but not enough to kill a man. We think he's alive. If Orochimaru has him, he will want him living", Kakashi said, understanding the question all too well. He'd heard it so often before. This wasn't the first missing-person-case he worked on.

And he knew the pain, the pain of losing someone dear, someone close. He pressed his lips hard together. Now was not the time to think about either Obito or Rin. He had to focus on the case at hand and find Naruto and Konohamaru. If it wasn't for them, then at least for Sasuke, to keep him from going to the same dark place where Kakashi had been.

Sasuke didn't say anything. He wasn't sure if his mind was able to comprehend what was being said. Naruto was alive. For now. But for how long? What would happen to him?

"It's late. I'll have someone go wake the state attorney and find me a judge who's willing to sign a warrant for that fucking orphanage. We go in first thing in the morning and we'll have men positioned all around the building. If Kabuto comes back to destroy evidence, we'll catch him", Kakashi added, now looking at Itachi and Gaara, as he was sure that Sasuke wasn't really listening anymore.

"Find him", was all Gaara said before sitting back down. It looked like neither of Naruto's friends would go home tonight and as much as Kakashi hated working while relatives breathed down his neck, he couldn't blame those three. He himself had waited all night at the hospital for Obito after all.

* * *

Groaning and aching, Naruto opened his eyes, only to squeeze them shut again right away as burning pain ripped through his skull.

 _Fucking shit, what happened?_

He felt like his head had been split in two and he could for the life of him not remember why. Last thing he knew; he was kneeling in front of that wall at the Good Shepherd before everything had gone black.

Bracing himself against the pain, he opened his eyes again, tears shooting into them at the intense anguish he was feeling. Everything was in pain - his head, his joints, his skin. And his stomach heaved with the intensity of it all. Barely registering what he was doing, Naruto leaned over the edge of whatever he was lying on, emptying the content his stomach on the dirty floor, bile burning in his throat and tears streaming down his face.

With a life in martial arts, Naruto had been injured plenty of times, but never had he felt like this before.

 _A concussion for sure_ , he mused, now wiping the tears away. Well, he wasn't in a hospital that much was for sure and someone had probably hit him over the head. That could only mean that he was in a very bad situation and his life probably in danger.

He moaned again at the pain, as he fell back onto what appeared to be a worn-out, dirty mattress somewhere in a dark room. The most important thing, he knew, was not to fall asleep now. He didn't know how severe his injuries were and falling asleep could mean that he wouldn't wake up again. He needed to keep his mind busy.

Okay, first things first. Where was he? No, idea. But it sure as hell wasn't anywhere where he'd ever been before in his life. How much time had passed since he'd blacked out? Well, he didn't know that either and judging from what the room looked like he was probably in some kind of basement, where the light was always too bad to guess the time of day. Fuck.

This wouldn't get him anywhere, he concluded and decided to go about it a different way. If he wanted to escape from where ever he was, he needed to know which tools he had at his disposal. Eyes watering again and his head spinning, he sat up.

It took him a while to focus again, as his brain was protesting against everything he did and his stomach heaved again from the pain shooting through his skull. This was really bad. But as Naruto was finally able to glance around a bit, he realized that there was another mattress in the room, occupied by a far smaller figure with dark hair and brown eyes that currently lay hidden behind closed lids.

"Konohamaru", Naruto breathed, his voice strange and rough from his sore vocal cords. He pressed a hand against his throat and closed his eyes. If Konohamaru was here, Naruto was sure that this was Orochimaru's hideout. The guy had gotten him, but that also meant that Naruto now had the change to take him down. He just needed an opening.

"Don't worry, mate", he whispered into Konohamaru's direction, knowing that the unconscious boy couldn't hear him. "I'll protect you this time. I promise".

He didn't know how much time passed, until the heavy metal door at the other end of the room swung open, filling the room with a scraping sound that hurt in Naruto's ears like nails scratching over a blackboard.

"Ah, you're awake", said a voice so hoarse that Naruto felt the impulse to hand the person it belonged to some honey. "You are a very special one, aren't you?". A man stepped into the dim half-light of the room. He looked very much like the person Kakashi had shown Naruto and Sasuke.

"Orochimaru", Naruto hissed, anger boiling in his chest. This was the guy who abducted and used children who didn't have a family. Children, who like Naruto, wished for nothing more than a warm home. Instead they had died here in this dark room all alone and forgotten.

"Ah, you know who I am. That saves me the trouble of introducing myself. And you are Naruto. Yes, Kabuto already told me about you. Fierce fool fighting for the sake of a boy no one would miss, just like the others", Orochimaru said, stepping closer. His yellow eyes and snakelike features alight with a strange kind of amusement.

He was obviously mad.

"And now what? You're gonna kill me?", Naruto shot back, narrowing his eyes. He was still in severe pain, but he wouldn't show any kind of weakness to this freak. If he was to die here, he wouldn't go down without a fight.

"Kill you?", Orochimaru asked, shaking his head and smiling as if he were talking to a particularly stupid child. "No, that wouldn't help me at all. I came to fetch Konohamaru, to be honest".

"What? Why?", exclaimed Naruto, knowing that the question was probably dumb, but he needed to stall time to come up with a plan to protect Konohamaru and the best way to do that was to have Orochimaru talk.

"He's going to be my new assistant. That's why I had Kabuto bring him here in the first place. You are just a coincidence, but the idiot was too incapable to get rid of you right away. Well, that spares me from having to choose a new child once your little friend over there dies", he sounded like he was talking about the weather instead of human lives. It made Naruto sick.

"So once he dies, you're gonna make me you assistant?", he asked, a plan forming inside his head. Sasuke would surely have noticed his absence by now and with a bit of luck the whole city would be looking for him soon. Eventually they would be found.

"That's the plan, yes".

Naruto closed his eyes for a second, before opening them again, full of determination. He knew it was mad and dangerous, but he didn't know how long it would take Kakashi to find them and he wouldn't risk Konohamaru dying before the police came.

"Use me first. Whatever you were planning to do to him, I want you to do it to me first. And if I die, he'll be your new assistant".

Orochimaru smiled again. "Ahh, the fierce protector, yes. If that's what you wish".

There… he'd done it. He'd turned the odds for Konohamaru. Now all Naruto had to do, was stay alive.

* * *

 **To be continued…**

 **Soooo…. That's it so far… I promise I'll be fast with the next chapter, as I don't want you guys to wait too long at this point of the story. I'm also glad that Orochimaru is finally making an appearance. I wanted to include him for quite some time and here he is now! Next chapter will focus on how to get Naruto and Konohamaru out of this mess, so stay tuned!**


	25. The Hope in the Despair

**Hey mina!**

 **What madness made me think that it would be a good idea to have two ongoing stories at the same time? Hahaha I'm so stupid! But I pull through it! This chapter is probably the worst of all, but you can already guess what's going to happen next time. Sorry for the angst. I promise everything will work out!**

 **So, there is going to be pain in this… like syringes and stuff… if that triggers you, I would recommend for you to skip the chapter and wait for the next update. For all those who read on, pls don't murder me! I love you all! And thank you again for all your encouraging words! You are the best!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, if I did, the ending would've been quite different *g* All characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.**

 **Warning: _16+ content_! Explicit description Violence!**

* * *

 **Chapter 25 The Hope in the Despair**

Naruto swallowed hard. He'd really done it. He'd taken Konohamaru's place in Orochimaru's perverted little game of experiments for whatever sick course this maniac was following. It hadn't been too difficult really, as if Orochimaru had been waiting for Naruto to pull that kind of stunt all along.

Well, even if he'd just walked into a carefully laid trap, what else was he supposed to do? He couldn't let Konohamaru be used as a human guinea pig. Naruto would gladly endure all the pain coming his way, heck he'd even die if that's what it took to make sure Konohamaru was save.

"Well, if you want to take his place, you better follow me now", Orochimaru said, his thin, pale lips forming into a smile that made Naruto want to lose the contents of his stomach all over again. He wasn't sure he'd survive this, but maybe, if Naruto stalled for enough time, the police would find them soon enough to save at least Konohamaru's life.

But one thing was sure as hell: Uzumaki Naruto wouldn't go down without a fight.

His head still pounding like a drum behind his eyes, Naruto finally rose from the dirty mattress he'd woken up on. Every muscle in his body screamed in protest at his movements.

Naruto had been injured a lot before, as a martial arts fighter, he was used to bruises and broken bones, but this was something else. An injury that didn't come from kicks and punches, but from within his own skull. It made him dizzy and feel as weak as he probably was right at this moment.

His breath burned in his lungs and his knees were so shaky; Naruto half expected himself to fall right back onto the mattress once he'd heaved himself up into an almost standing position. He hated how pathetic he must look.

"Kabuto hit you quite hard, didn't he?", Orochimaru chuckled with wicked amusement, a pale, long fingered hand covering his mouth as if he was trying to be polite. Only that Orochimaru had no reason to be. He had Naruto completely at his mercy, all he needed to do was slit his throat and be done with it.

"Not hard enough though. I'm still breathing. Couldn't even fucking kill me", replied Naruto through gritted teeth. God, he was so fucking mad at this entire situation. But it was his own fault after all and he had no one to blame but himself.

"I already told you there'd be no fun in killing you right away. Kabuto knows me well enough not to kill you on the spot, but rather bring you here so that you can live out your usefulness", Orochimaru explained, half turning towards the door. He was about to leave and didn't seem to question whether Naruto would follow him or not. Also did he see no reason to get a hold on the younger man; sure that he didn't pose a threat to him.

It bugged Naruto that Orochimaru was apparently so calm in his presence, when he himself wished to find a way to make the bastard pay for what he'd already done and was now about to do.

But what could he do really? Weakened and with his hands bound? _Nothing_. He was just as helpless as any child Orochimaru had held captive in these rooms before.

Naruto threw one last glance back at the still unconscious Konohamaru, wondering for a split second what Orochimaru had done to him and if the same thing would happen to Naruto now, too. The rational part of his mind was very well capable of comprehending what was going on, but some other part of his brain didn't seem to realize how imminent the danger was. It was a strange feeling – somewhere between utter horror and an inhuman calmness.

The room he was led into looked nothing like the one he'd woken up in. The lights in here were too bright and artificial, hurting Naruto's eyes from the second he stepped over the threshold. His head throbbed in pain and his stomach heaved with the need to spill its content on the white tiled floor.

He swayed and found purchase on the metal surface of what looked like a surgical table, his fingers leaving prints on the cold, polished steel. Blue eyes went wide at the sight and Naruto's stomach protested with a new kind of sickness that had nothing to with his concussion and everything with what a table like that implied would happen to him.

 _I'm going to die here_ , he thought, swallowing the tight knot that clogged up his throat.

Orochimaru shoved him forward unceremoniously, cold hands holding Naruto by the collar of his shirt until he was half laying on top if the table and the cold steel bit into his skin where his dirty, strained shirt had ridden up and now exposed bare skin to metal.

The air was filled with the sickening smell of medical chemicals and cheap detergents, the mixture of both making it hard to breath especially since Naruto's throat was still raw from the bile he'd thrown up earlier.

He could feel Orochimaru press him down on the table as he struggled against his grip, every movement almost too much to bear in the state he was in. Ultimately, there was no escape from his inevitable fate and far too soon Naruto found himself chained up on top of the cold surface, his hands and feet strapped to the table by scrubbing leather ties which left his wrists and ankles sore after mere minutes.

"What are you doing to me, you sick freak?", Naruto rasped, trying to crane his neck as he followed Orochimaru's every move with his eyes. He knew there was nothing he could do, but he wouldn't just give in, wouldn't let Orochimaru break him.

"As I said, you will be my new assistant. You will help me unveil the greatest mystery of life itself – death. And if you're lucky and my experiments finally succeed you'll be gifted with immortality, doesn't that sound like a good deal?", Orochimaru said, turning his back to Naruto to prepare something the younger man couldn't see on the sideboard next to them.

"I would rather die than give you the key to immortality", Naruto replied, fierce and righteous and yet so helpless in his anger that tears slipped from his eyes. He didn't lament his life or his death, not the pain he would feel nor the fear that had long since settled in his chest, coiling and uncoiling like a snake, but his own impuissance.

"You say that as if you could change anything about the outcome of this", Orochimaru said, his voice rich with a strange kind of laughter that made Naruto's blood run cold. No matter what would happen from here on out, this guy could not be reasoned with. By no one.

"Fuck you! I won't make it that easy for you!", Naruto spat, fighting against the shackles around his joints, but to no avail.

"Easy for me?", asked Orochimaru, sounding like he was talking to a particularly stupid child. He turned back to Naruto, his right arm raised and hand holding a syringe with a clear, translucent liquid. The smile stretching across his thin lips, made Naruto shiver in dread. "Don't give me that look. You knew it would be unpleasant. But don't worry; this injection will soon be the least of your problems".

Naruto gulped and closed his eyes, as Orochimaru leaned closer, the sharp tip of the syringe already breaking through the skin in the crook of Naruto's arm. He didn't know what was going to happen to him next, but his last thought before fire caused through his veins was for Sasuke and the years they'd lost and maybe wouldn't even makeup for.

* * *

Back at the police headquarter, Sasuke, Itachi and Gaara were still waiting for any kind of news on Naruto and Konohamaru. Hours had ticked by with the three of them sitting in the same position still, each of them deeply sunken into their own thoughts.

Not much had happened since ANBU had decided to search the orphanage, which wasn't really surprising given the late hour and the fact that barely any judge would be willing to sign a warrant this late at night. Every so often one of the officers entered the room, whispering to Kakashi about things Sasuke couldn't make out from his position. Sharp nods and low words were exchanged, but nothing every really _led_ to anything.

It was well past four when Anko walked through the door, face grim but also satisfied, waving a sheet of paper at Kakashi, who'd been typing away on his computer for at least the past hour and looked as if he needed a whole month of sleep after this case was over.

"We got the warrant", Anko announced for everyone to hear, slamming the paper on the desk in front of Kakashi and crossing her arms in front of her chest.

Kakashi ran a hand over his face, rubbing the evidence for his lack of sleep from his eyes, before he took the paper and read what it said, his one visible pupil following the lines in the artificial light of the room. "Good. Gather a CSI group; we meet at the place of abduction in an hour. Tell them to bring bulletproof gear. We don't know what we're up against really".

Anko just nodded and turned without a further word, hastily leaving the room again. Sasuke looked at Kakashi, meeting his gaze as the other man finally got off his chair and walked over to the three waiting men, the signed warrant in hand.

"Seems like we found a judge willing to sign this at four in the morning", he said, his sad smile evident through the fabric of his mask. "My team and I will search Kabuto's old home now. Maybe we'll find leads to where Orochimaru is hiding, there. But, it will take some time to analyse whatever we find in the house. You guys would all do well, to go home and catch up on some sleep. I know it's hard, but depending on what we find, we might need you in the morning with your senses sharp and not over fatigued".

Sasuke looked at Kakashi for the longest moment without saying anything. He really didn't want to leave. Going home to sleep, while Naruto was God knows where, probably being tortured by that maniac just felt so entirely wrong. "You two go and sleep, I'll stay here", he finally said, turning towards Gaara and Itachi.

His older brother however just shook his head. "No, Otouto. We're all going home. Kakashi is right, none of is of any help if we can't think straight".

"But Naruto-"

"Naruto wouldn't want you to mess this up just because you refused to sleep. He needs you now more than ever before and if you really love him, you'll go home with me and make sure you're at your best tomorrow morning. That's the only way we'll find him, understood?", Itachi cut in; the voice of reason as always.

A small sigh escaped Sasuke's parted lips as he lolled his head back against the cool wall and closed his eyes. Every inch of his body screamed for him to go out there and do something, but his hands were tied. What was he to do? Try to lure Kabuto out and get abducted himself? No… that would help no one. "Why are you always so Goddamn right?", he asked in frustration.

"That's what older brothers are for", Itachi said, rising from his chair and extending a hand to Kakashi. "Thank you for everything so far. I'll take them both home. Please call as soon as there's any news".

"I will. You guys get some sleep. This search will take a few hours and analysing the clues will as well. There's no need for you to be here when there's nothing you can do". He knew the words were probably hard, but Kakashi had never been one for sugarcoating the truth and Sasuke had always been mature and strong enough to deal with the ugly reality.

An hour later all three of them had arrived at Sasuke's and Naruto's house. They'd agreed that it wouldn't make sense for Gaara to go home only to be picked up again in a few hours. Neither of them felt like being alone, even if they didn't voice it and with things as tense as they were, giving each other comfort wouldn't be the worst to do.

Once inside and out of his jacket and shoes, Sasuke walked into the living room. He had no intention of sleeping upstairs where everything looked and smelled like Naruto, reminding him painfully of the fact that his husband was missing and probably in grave danger. No, Sasuke couldn't sleep in that room, the couch had to do the deed.

"You two go sleep upstairs", Sasuke said without looking at his brother of whom he knew that he stood leaned against the doorframe and watching over him.

"You sure?"

"Positive. I can't stand it there. But the sofa's comfy, so… don't worry", Sasuke replied, busying himself with getting some blankets and a pillow from a nearby closet. He desperately tried not to think, because everything his mind came up with made him boil with the need to go save Naruto himself.

"Of course I worry. You're my brother and right now you're a mess", Itachi said, stepping into the room, while he heard Gaara walk up the stairs.

Sasuke huffed in dry amusement. Of course he was a mess. He didn't even try to hide that. "No shit, Sherlock", he said, not even bothering to strip out of the clothes he'd worn since he'd left the house some twelve or so hours ago, before getting under the blankets. He really wasn't in the mood to talk right now and wished Itachi would just go away.

"Sasuke", his brother said, sitting down on the armrest, but not looking at him as he spoke. "I know you want to keep to yourself at the moment. But things are not going to get better if you cut yourself off. He's going to be fine".

"I'm going to kill that Orochimaru guy if he isn't", Sasuke growled, turning towards the backrest and telling his brother that he considered this conversation done.

Itachi sighed heavily, but rose from his seat anyway. He knew his brother well enough to tell when talking to him didn't make sense anymore and right now was one of those moments. Sasuke wasn't open to listening to him and for all it was worth Itachi could just talk to brick wall – the outcome would be the same. "Good night, Otouto…", he whispered as he left the room and switched off the lights.

Upstairs, Gaara was already tucked under the covers, but his clear aqua eyes were still sharp with attention as Itachi sat down on the opposite side of the bed, all in darkness. "He's sure he wants us to sleep here?", Gaara asked, voice unimpressed, but somewhat tired.

"Well, I can always go to the guest room I guess", Itachi said, only half answering the question, but making Gaara huff a little.

"That's not what I meant", he said, closing his eyes. Itachi had to admit that ever since he'd been grouped with Gaara during their search for Konohamaru, the man had woken his interest, but maybe now was not the time to act on it. Gaara was after all Naruto's best friend and had his mind occupied by a lot of things other than romance.

"I know. Just saying". Getting out of his daywear, Itachi got under the duvet and closed his eyes. He was exhausted beyond sanity, but he also knew that sleep probably wouldn't come to him tonight. However, resting might help a little as well. After seeing Naruto grow up for so many years, the thought of maybe losing him pained Itachi just as much as losing Sasuke would.

"Stay", was Gaara's only reply, a short acknowledgement of their relationship that was nothing yet but promised to become everything if they both wanted it.

* * *

Naruto woke to his lunges burning in desperation, his eyes going wide the instant he opened them and his throat coughing up a torrent of water that spilled over his face as he lay on his back feeling exhausted in a way that it sunk into the marrow of his bones and left him with an unknown kind of chill that seemed to rise from his toes to his head.

He turned to the side, coughing and simultaneously gasping for air only to have more water flood back into his windpipe and leave him with white lights dancing in front of his eyes. There was no way for him to comprehend how long it took him to finally get rid of the bone shaking feeling that he was drowning on bare land, his lungs protesting and against every necessary cough.

The concussion had been bad, but this was worse. This was torture… but what had he expected? A few fingers being pressed into the right places and the question "Does this hurt?"? Probably not…

"What have you done to me, you fucker?", Naruto groaned through gritted teeth. His head was swimming and the strange chill wouldn't go away. His hair, face and shoulders were dripping wet, the shirt he'd worn long gone. He knew however that Orochimaru was close by, because he could hear him rustling around, feet dragging over the concrete floor.

"Ah, you're awake. Finally. For a moment I though even our first experiment was too much for you. But here you are, happily alive", Orochimaru said good-humouredly as he stepped into Naruto's field of vision.

"What the fuck did you do to me?", demanded Naruto again, rolling on his back and raising a hand to his head to shield his burning eyes from the artificial light. God… if he made it through this, he would go on a month's long vacation.

"Oh I gave you a remedy that prolongs the process of dying", Orochimaru explained nonchalantly, his creepy white hands slowly reaching for Naruto's face. "Afterwards I brought you to near death by drowning you, but as you can see, you're still alive. Maybe you'll even be the one. The one little laboratory rat that won't die, but stay alive and alive and _alive_ no matter what I do to you. That would get me a lot closer to immortality, wouldn't it?".

Naruto decided not to reply. Instead he kept quiet, waiting for Orochimaru to do his examination with bright light testing the reaction of Naruto's pupils and creepy hands feeling his pulse and heartbeat. Was there any point in fighting this? He wasn't shackled anymore but that didn't really make any difference. All strength seemed to have drained from his body, leaving him weak and shaking on the ice cold surface of the surgery table.

It was so easy to just give in and let himself be swept away, by his exhaustion, the drugs and his burning body, but as he closed his eyes a face came to his mind, blurred at first but rapidly gaining shape. Those delicate cheekbones, sharp features, onyx eyes and pale lips all framed by soft black hair.

 _Sasuke…._

The only one who'd ever really mattered. The only person Naruto wanted to spend eternity, or at least the rest of his life with. But if he died here today, there would be no rest of his life, no future for them to share. If Naruto wanted to be with Sasuke, he had to fight. Orochimaru wanted him to give in and die, but Naruto wouldn't give him that pleasure. He would fight for his life no matter what it took and he would show Orochimaru that he was not yet broken.

"It's time get to the next phase, my dear", Orochimaru said, returning to Naruto with another dose of his remedy.

"Get away from me, you sick fuck", Naruto growled, his voice too weak to be anything but pathetic. But he hadn't given up yet and he wanted Orochimaru to know that. Wanted him to acknowledge the fact that he hadn't shattered his will to live.

"Tsk, tsk. I knew you were an orphan once, but your utter lack of manners is disturbing", Orochimaru chirped, holding Naruto down with one hand and piercing his skin again with the syringe. This time the injection felt like melted ice causing through Naruto's veins, setting his body on a cold fire and making him writhe in pain. "Water couldn't kill you. Let's see if electricity can…".

* * *

It was barely fast ten in the morning, when Sasuke got out his car in front of the ANBU headquarters again, after maybe three hours of sleep at most. He'd been too restless and too worried to calm down and drift off. Whenever he closed his eyes, Naruto's face would come to him mind, reminding him of what was at stake.

Itachi and Gaara looked like they hadn't had a better night or rather early morning than him, but Sasuke couldn't make himself care. All he wanted was to get into this building and hear what news Kakashi had.

An hour ago Sasuke had woken to his phone ringing on the coffee table and an exhausted sounding Kakashi who'd asked them to come to the police station if they wanted to get filled in on the latest news. It had Sasuke taken only ten minutes to get ready. Itachi and Gaara though, hadn't been as quick.

Sasuke stiffly walked into the office, not bothering to greet anyone as he went and only stopped when he came face to face with Kakashi in front of one of the boards at the wall. "You found something?", he asked, coming right to the point and not even waiting for his brother and Gaara to catch up to him.

Kakashi glanced over Sasuke's shoulder to where the other two men were just entering the room and waited for them to join the conversation, exchanging brief courtesies before getting to the point. It angered Sasuke, but he knew better than to say something about it. Now was not the time to waste valuable time by starting a fight.

"We searched the orphanage this morning and we found a lead to Orochimaru's hideout. It's in code however. Meaning we can't just go there and say 'hi' because we still don't know where 'there' is", he explained, pointing to a map of Konoha pinned to the board. "But we think it's somewhere around he here". Kakashi made an expansive gesture towards what Sasuke identified as an old industrial park at the outskirts of the city, long since abandoned as Konoha had moved from manufacturing to developing.

"So? What do we do? Search the whole area?", he asked, looking at the rather huge area Kakashi had just pointed to. It would take them days and probably send Orochimaru right into a new hideout.

"No, we wait until Yamato has the documents we found decoded. Problem is, it won't take long for Kabuto to realize that we found his little stash of information. Once he knows we're on his tracks, he'll tell his master and they'll disappear again. If they do, I fear we won't stand a chance of finding either Naruto or Konohamaru alive", Kakashi explained with a deep sigh spilling from his lips.

"How long?"

"Twenty-four hours at most. Kabuto has never been away for longer than that".

"So, what do we do?", asked Itachi, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his right hand; something he only did when suffering from a headache.

"I will assemble a team ready to strike any second. Yamato is confident that he'll have everything decoded in the next six hours. Once he's done, we go in. That should be fast enough to get them before they can run again. If we fail however, your husband and your ward may die", Kakashi said, the last sentence directed at Sasuke again. He looked ten years older than yesterday and like he needed a week worth of sleep, but Sasuke trusted him anyway.

"Good. I will accompany you", he stated, the topic absolutely not open for discussion. He wouldn't just sit idly by and wait for Kakashi to return with news of whether Naruto had survived or not. Sasuke would be there, ready to see his husband the second they freed him from the clutches of this maniac.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow at him, pursing his lips under his mask. "I don't think that's a good idea. We don't take civilians on cases. Sharing this much information with you is unusual already and I only do it, because I know you since you were a teenager. But I can't have you go in there. We don't know what Orochimaru is capable of".

"We wouldn't come inside. We'd just wait in a police car outside the building while you strike. All we want, is to see Naruto once he's freed", Gaara said, for the first time breaking his silence. He wanted to be there just as much as Sasuke did and even if the two of them were never going to be friends, they could work together in this.

Rubbing his temples and taking a sip from the mug on the desk next to them, Kakashi sighed again. He did understand why they wanted to come along. Hell, he'd been the first to storm out of the car when he'd heard of Obito. But he also remembered the pain, the all-consuming pain as he realized that he was too late and there was nothing he could do. Seeing it with his own eyes hadn't made things easier and ever since, he wished he could have kept the old Obito in his memory instead of the broken doll he'd become that day.

"It's not a good idea. Really. If anything goes wrong…", Kakashi tried to reason, but he already knew that he was fighting a lost case when he looked into the faces of the three men in front of him. Such determination. It was obvious that they wouldn't back down, no matter what he told them. "All of you stay in the car. No matter what happens. Even if the whole place blows up, you will stay put, are we understood?".

Sasuke bit his bottom lip. He hated doing nothing, but he also didn't want to risk being left here in the headquarters to wait for news. It took him a while, but in the end he nodded and muttered a low "If you insist".

"Yes I do. We'll get you some bulletproof gear just in case, but all three of you will stay in the car until I come and fetch you. If I see you outside I'll sue your ass", Kakashi replied, his visible eye boring into Sasuke's. "Good. Now go grab a bite somewhere. I have work to do. I'll see you in a few hours".

* * *

Being drowned had been bad, but having electricity run through your veins was excruciating. It was pure agony. As if his nerves were on fire, buzzing with _too much_ of everything. Hot and cold and sharp and cutting into his very being.

Naruto couldn't remember if he'd tried to scream while Orochimaru had held his head under water, but he sure as hell was screaming now as his body burned with the sheer agony of this treatment. He arched his back and felt his muscles cramp while shockwave after shockwave ran through his body, leaving him no time to come down from one peek of suffering before the next one hit.

He didn't know how long he'd be able to stand this, but it wouldn't be very long now. Part of him wanted to fall into blissful unconsciousness and drown out all the pain, but another part, the one that clung not only to life but also to Sasuke, was too afraid that falling asleep would mean never waking up again.

And if he were to die, he would never see him again. Sasuke.

Naruto didn't want that. He wanted to go home to the man he loved and see him smile. Everything about him was suddenly so precious, his annoying 'hn's as much as his teasing and the way those dark eyes glossed over when they met Naruto's gaze. It was all there, in his mind. Every little detail about them. Naruto remembered the day of his fourteenth or fifteenth birthday, when Sasuke had taken him to the aquarium. Maybe it had been even then that Naruto had fallen for him. Those days felt like a lifetime ago. But if he wanted to get his times of happiness back, he had to make it through this.

 _He mustn't give in._

And then, after what felt like forever, the shockwaves suddenly stopped. It didn't stop the pain all at once, but even the slight fading away of agony was enough to make Naruto breathe again.

"It seems you're a hard one to kill. Two levels on just one day and you're still conscious. Your little friend in the other room still hasn't woken from just being drowned and he's been here longer than you have", Orochimaru hummed ecstatically, leaning over Naruto to examine him again.

Having this manic even mention Konohamaru made Naruto burn with the wish to teach the fucker a lesson. How likely was it that anyone would find them in this god forsaken place before Naruto's heart finally gave in? No, he wouldn't make this easy at all! If he had to die, he would do it with his strength unbroken.

Finally, when Orochimaru decided to take a look at Naruto's trachea, mumbling away about the after effects of the drowning and shoved two of his rubber gloved hands into Naruto's mouth, Naruto shut his eyes and bit down as hard as he could.

He knew it wouldn't help him in any way at all, but this wasn't about escaping, it was about making a point. His teeth cut deep through rubber and skin, especially since Orochimaru tried to yank his fingers free, only to have them stopped by the force of the bite, skin breaking and blood oozing from a new wound.

There wasn't much strength left in Naruto and he soon had to let go, but not without a glimmer of defiance in his eyes, hissing "Payback's a bitch".

Orochimaru looked at him as if he'd just grown a second head, holding his bleeding fingers close to his body, shaking with anger. "You little… You'll wish you'd never done that", he promised, his undamaged hand reaching out for something on the sideboard.

"Let's see if you'll still be this loudmouthed after I teach you a lesson", he said chuckling like a madman and holding out for Naruto to see what he'd just fetched to play with. A scalpel.

Naruto swallowed hard. He didn't regret what he'd done, but he knew he had to brace himself for pain. A lot of it.

* * *

 **To be continued…**

 **Soooo… that was one hell of a ride… v.v wow… I'm exhausted. So happy when the next chapter is finally over, even though that means there're only very few chapters left T_T I'm soooo gonna miss this fic! With the end of it coming for us, is there anything you guys want to see mentioned? The Fugaku and Karin topic will of course come up, as will Naruto's parents. But if there's anything else you want to read, just tell me!**


	26. The Living in the Dead

**Hey mina!**

 **I am SO sorry! So, so sorry! The chapter just didn't want to be written… I don't know what happened… it was quite frustrating really… but it's done now! It's out there! For all of you to read. I really thought I'd be able to write during my time in Japan, but turns out I wasn't and that caused further delay. Please forgive me! I'll do my best to get back into my old schedule and upload the new chapter every two weeks!**

 **For the chapter… well… there are a lot more points of view than usual… might be a reason why it was so hard to write it… but I needed all of those people to give you the details of what if going on. With everyone being in a different location and stuff… This really is the climax of the story. Next chapters will focus on the aftermath and tie up all lose ends (like Faguku and Karin *g*).**

 **So, do hope you forgive me and enjoy the chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, if I did, the ending would've been quite different *g* All characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.**

 **Warning: _16+ content_! Explicit description Violence! **

* * *

**Chapter 26 The Living in the Dead**

There was pain. Pain and blood and the piercing cold of the steel beneath his back, biting into his skin while his cheeks burned and thick, warm liquid dripped down from both sides of his face, forming little red pools left and right of Naruto's head.

He didn't know what Orochimaru had done to him. Hadn't see the damage yet, nor had he been able to touch it. His hands were still chained to the table, rendering him immobile. No matter how hard he fought against his confinedness, the shackles just wouldn't yield. And the pain tugged at his consciousness, begging him to just give in and fall into blissful nothingness instead of fighting on.

Naruto had no idea how much time had passed, since Orochimaru had sliced at his face, doing whatever he'd done to make the skin burn and bleed. Mere minutes could have passed or maybe entire days. Floating somewhere between consciousness and unconsciousness, Naruto had lost the ability to grasp at the time.

"Ah, I see you're finally with us again", Orochimaru's voice greeted him thick with sarcastic amusement. "Do you regret your foolish attempt to defy me? Or do you want me to start peeling the skin off your… well… not so pretty… face?".

Naruto wanted to retort. Really, really wanted to. But the pain was too much and his tongue was suddenly too large for his mouth, unable to coil around the sounds that would ultimately produce words. Instead, he just groaned from somewhere deep inside his throat and even that hurt, because breathing was just too much as well.

"You are probably suffering from pneumonia", Orochimaru stated, now walking into Naruto's field of vision. "It's only natural, you know? A common side effect of resuscitation after almost drowning. And you have been through that in the last couple of days more than other people in their entire lives. You are special".

It was hard not to just groan again, but Naruto kept quiet this time. He was sure by now that he wouldn't make it through this, but he wasn't willing to give Orochimaru the satisfaction of having Naruto moan in pain and beg for mercy. There had been times during Naruto's childhood, when he'd never expected himself to make to adulthood due to his circumstances. But here he was, a 26 years old man. He'd been around a lot longer than he'd dared to hope at the tender age of six.

"What? Not in for a little chitchat? Did my blade effectively shut you up?" asked Orochimaru, obviously satisfied with whatever he'd done to Naruto's face. It stung like a bitch that much was for sure.

"Fuck you", Naruto hissed, his cheeks protesting against the movements of his facial muscles as he spoke. A burning, stinging pain followed by a new stream of blood running from his broken skin down the side of his face. The wounds were deep that much was for sure.

"Still so rude…"…", there was a short, cold laugh and Orochimaru turned back to the counter next to him, leaving Naruto's field of vision only to have him guess at what his tormentor could be doing, _preparing_ , for him next. "I think, it's time to bring your little friend over as well, don't you think so? What was his name? Konohamaru?"

Ice ran down Naruto's spine like a sharp spike. Fear tightened around his heart and squeezed his breath out of his lungs. _No…_ it couldn't happen. Naruto was here to protect Konohamaru. He'd come here to die in his stead. There was no way he would let this manic drug and drown a child.

"N-No need for that. I'm up for whatever sick shit you want to try next", Naruto hissed, his cheeks burning with every movement of his facial muscles. Whatever Orochimaru had done to him, had torn at them apparently. The cuts deep enough to not only slice through skin but flesh as well.

"Is that so?", Orochimaru asked with a chuckle that could only mean that the worst was still to come for Naruto. "Well, then I think you'll need a new injection, won't you? Can't have you die on me before we even get started".

Naruto tried to turn his head, leather chains squeaking as he moved, because he could live with everything, with the pain, the cold, the heat, the burning sensation in his chest every time he drew a breath, but what he couldn't live with was _not knowing_ what was happening to him.

The syringe pierced through the skin of his arm, finding his veins with experienced precision, filling his blood with the drug that was supposed to keep him alive even when all his body wanted to do was give in and shut down forever. He hadn't drowned, so maybe he wouldn't die from whatever would be done to him next either. He only feared that at some point not his body but maybe his mind would just shatter.

And really, that thought was worse than death.

* * *

To say Sasuke was anxious was the greatest understatement of the century. Itachi could practically feel the tension rolling off his little brother in thick, sickening waves, as he set between him and Gaara on the back seat of Kakashi's police car, the early morning lights of Konoha rushing past them as they got ever closer to the industrial park where Naruto was being held captive.

Neither of the three had had any rest since Kakashi had announced their break through. They had of course agreed to playing this by Kakashi's rules, meaning the three of them had to stay in the car at all times, no matter what happened. Even if the whole place blew up, Itachi, Sasuke and Gaara were to stay out of it. They were civilians after all and usually shouldn't be at a crime scene in the first place. It was only Kakashi's soft spot for Sasuke that had gotten them into this car today.

However, Itachi had his suspicions that neither his brother nor the silent redhead on the other side of the seat, would be willing to patiently wait in case they got as much as a whiff of Naruto being in danger. And that was when Itachi knew he had to step up. No matter how worried he was for his brother-in-law, he would hold both men back to save them from themselves if need be. Rushing into the fight might only cause the situation to get worse.

"Calm down, Ototou. The ANBU know what they're doing. This isn't the first time they rescue someone. You should trust Kakashi. He's a capable man", Itachi said, his voice low and steady. Sasuke had his head turned towards the window, eyes unfocused, staring into an oblivion no one but him could see.

"It's not that I don't trust him. But this Orochimaru guy is unpredictable", Sasuke replied after a while. The silence that followed was thick and full of tension. It pulsed like a living being between the three men who all knew what was at stake. If Naruto died tonight or was already dead, both Sasuke and Gaara would break apart under the weight of the loss.

Itachi would be a liar if he claimed such a thought didn't send a spike of fear down his spine.

He shook his head to get rid of the disturbing thoughts. If anyone was strong enough to survive whatever Orochimaru was doing to him, it was Naruto. Not only was his body in a far better condition than most people's, but he was also far too stubborn to just give in and die.

He had a will of fire and Orochimaru would not break it.

"He's gonna make it. I've seen him grow up and I know he's strong enough to fight through everything the world throws at him", said Itachi with a small sigh. He knew it was hard on Sasuke, thinking that he might lose Naruto again after long years of separation and just getting back together, but Itachi wouldn't let his brother drown in his misery.

Sasuke turned his head, finally locking his dark eyes on his brother, eyebrows furrowed and shoulders tense, his lips pressed into a thin line. "What if he's dead already? What if Kakashi's team is too late?", he demanded, obviously not caring that the car came to a halt as they spoke.

"He isn't dead yet", a quiet voice suddenly said, Gaara raising his opinion for the first time since they entered the car. His clear aqua eyes rested on Sasuke and his features were more relaxed than Itachi would ever expect from anyone in a situation like this. "He was on a mission to protect and save Konohamaru when Kabuto got him. Dying is not an option if you want to protect someone. And Naruto never goes back on his word".

Unlike Sasuke, Gaara had complete trust in Naruto and his abilities to survive even the worst kind of torture.

Itachi smiled softly. He knew this was neither the place nor the time, but he would make sure to get to know Gaara better once all this was over. The man just had something uniquely mesmerizing to him that made Itachi want to unveil every last of his secrets.

"Hn", was the only answer they got from Sasuke and Itachi never managed to say something on the matter, as a sharp knock ripped through their conversation.

Kakashi was standing in front of the car, motioning for Sasuke to open the window so they could talk some before the mission started. His one visible eye travelled over each of the men on the back seat.

"You three okay so far?", he asked once the window had been cranked down far enough for them to properly speak.

Sasuke just nodded, obviously still not on the mood to talk to anyone.

"Just a little tense is all", Itachi answered, trying for a smile that he knew was fake but it was the polite thing to do. Being civilians they should be grateful to be given the chance to come along.

Kakashi nodded, lips stretching into a grim smile beneath his mask. "It's to be expected. I just came to remind you that you must stay put. No adventures, rash actions, nothing of the sort. If you hear gun fire you stay in the car. If you see the paramedics go in, you stay in the car. If the whole damn place bursts into flames, you stay in the car. Am I understood?".

"Yes, very much so. Doing something rash could endanger the entire mission. We will stay here until you come back and allow us to leave the car", Itachi agreed, bowing his head a little. It was again the polite thing to do. To show gratitude for being allowed here.

"Good. If I see one of you running around I'm going to sue your asses, got it?"

Three heads nodded in unison, even if Sasuke looked like he was fuming beneath his tightly closed lips. He'd never been a man to just sit back and wait and Itachi was sure every instinct his little brother had, screamed at him to get out of the car and run to Naruto.

But that wasn't how this worked and all three of them knew it.

They were neither skilled nor trained for a situation like this. All they could do, was leave Naruto to people better suited for the mission.

"Okay, I'll leave you with one of the officers. If there's anything you need, ask him. I'll let you know myself when it's safe for you to leave the car", Kakashi further explained and Itachi nodded again. He had every intention on playing this by Kakashi's rules and hoped that the two men beside him wouldn't lose their cool in case anything harsh happened.

All they could do now was wait and hope that the ANBU team would bring back Naruto and Konohamaru alive.

* * *

Kakashi pushed away from the car, burying his hands in the pockets of his pants as he walked over to where the rest of his team was waiting for him. The ANBU would of course lead the operation and go in first. They were, after all, the best elite force on home soil and no one was better suited for a high risk mission than them.

Their training had centred around one principle: safe the victims' lives at all costs.

And that was what Kakashi intended to do. It had been what Rin and Obito had aimed for at the time. They had sacrificed their lives to save others and Kakashi wouldn't hesitate to follow their example if need be. ANBU members didn't value their own lives over the success of a mission, especially when the lives of innocents were on the line.

And what else were Naruto and Konohamaru if not innocents?

However, the ANBU were of course not the only force present today. Consisting of only half a dozen men, they wouldn't be enough to secure a building as large as Orochimaru's hideout efficiently. Which was why the police was there as well, with more than fifty men to follow the ANBU inside once they declared a certain area safe enough.

In addition, four ambulances had been called to the crime scene, two for the victims they would hopefully save from Orochimaru's clutches and two more in case police men or ANBU member got hurt during the mission.

Kakashi's boss had declared it an S rank mission – highest difficulty and highest risk for the task force members themselves. No one could say, if everyone would make it back out alive. Ambulances were obligatory.

"Everything ready?", Kakashi asked, looking at Anko and Yamato, who both fastened their olive green bullet proof vests. They didn't come with a logo like FBI as to _not_ give away which task force was operating.

"Everything is set", Yamato assured, hand resting on the holster at his left hip. They all were armed with several kinds of weapons: guns, billy clubs and tasers in addition to a flashlight and pepper spray.

Kakashi nodded again, his own hand now checking his gun and taking it out of the holster. "Good. Let's get inside. It's time to get that bastard busted", he said, a small smile spreading on his lips as adrenaline pumped through his body. It wasn't the danger or violence that had him all excited, but as cheesy as it might seem, the chance to help someone and actually save people. He'd been wanting to work in a job like this for a very long time and had never regret his choice to leave Jiraiya's dojo and move to Tokyo.

Silent nods were exchanged and the team got into position, slowly approaching the building, all of them slightly hunched to keep the target as small as possible, guns at the ready and shoulders tense. Reacting quickly to possible threats could save lives and they were trained to be exactly that – always on attention and deadly fast if needed.

Kakashi locked gazes with Anko, moving his head sharply into the direction he wanted her to go, as they reached the entrance. No one had cared to lock the old iron gate that had once kept strangers out of the long abandoned industrial building.

The usually soft shaking of the gate filled the silent air with a noise far too loud for Kakashi's liking, but there was really nothing he could do about it. The risk of being noticed early in the operation increased of course, and Kakashi's grip around the gun in his hand tightened in response to the added danger.

Anko might have opened the door but Kakashi motioned for her to stay back for a little longer and let him go in first. He always did. The risk of being shot was the greatest for the agent who went in first and Kakashi was the team leader. It was his responsibility to keep the other ANBU members save.

It was dark inside the building. Almost no light falling through the thick wooden boards nailed over the smashed windows. For anyone who entered accidently, the place would look like nothing but an old factory. It was the ideal disguise for an illegal laboratory. Nothing about the building attracted any kind of curiosity in a stranger, lowering the risk of ever being found by chance.

Kakashi motioned for his team to spread up and search the vast production hall for any signs of a threat before proceeding to the upper floor where he knew the offices had been and where Orochimaru was most likely hiding and experimenting.

It took the ANBU all but ten minutes to search every corner of the room and make sure no nasty surprises were lurking in the shadows.

"Area A - safe", Kakashi whispered into the small mic attached to his ANBU vest. As soon as he declared a certain area save, he and his team would proceed to the next one and a police unit would take their place and secure the area as well as a possible way to retreat for the vanguard.

Waving his right arm to gather his own unit, Kakashi made his way to the dusty metal staircase that led up to the office floor. Up there each and every room would be opened and searched, as they had no idea where to expect Orochimaru. It had been a lucky coincidence that a member of the town staff had found old plans of the building on their server and been so kind as to convey them to Kakashi on short notice. Otherwise the ANBU unit would be as good as blind.

This way, they at least knew what the building in general looked like and what to expect behind each door. However, it could not prepare Kakashi and his team for what they would find once they entered the first room on the upper floor.

They soon learned that Naruto and Konohamaru were by no means the only victims held by Orochimaru. Even behind the first door, they found a room that served as a cell for several people, male and female alike all of them blinking owlishly at the bright flash light as it penetrated the darkness they were kept in.

"Did you know about this?", Kakashi asked, turning his head to Yamato, who stood no more than a foot behind him, shaking his head and closing his eyes in horror for a second.

"I had no idea. I was always kept alone. Never saw anyone but Orochimaru. Back in the day he didn't even have Kabuto yet", he said, his voice rough and strained.

Kakashi nodded, activating the mic again. "We need more ambulances at the crime scene. And tell every hospital in the city to get ready for a large number of patients. We have more than just two victims here. Probably up to fifty if the first room is any indication of what we'll find once we enter the others".

* * *

Sasuke was restless. Kakashi and his team had gone into the building almost half an hour ago and so far, not much had happened. Several other police units had entered as well and from what Sasuke knew about the mission it meant that a certain area was cleared and declared safe. But Naruto was yet to be seen. He would be taken outside as soon as they found him, wouldn't he?

Two of the four paramedic teams were now getting ready, making Sasuke hope that Kakashi had found Naruto and would lead him to safety soon, but as soon as the paramedics disappeared from Sasuke's view, five additional ambulances rounded the corner to their street, making Sasuke tense up again.

"Hey, why are there so many ambulances? Did anything happen?", he asked the policemen in front of their car. The one Kakashi had said to talk to if anything came up. And yes, something had come up, hadn't it?

"Can't tell you. It's restricted information and you're a civilian", the man answered. He was fairly young, maybe in his early twenties and the tone his used on Sasuke made the Uchiha's brows twitch in annoyance.

"Listen, this is my husband in there. I have a right so know what's going on, when it's his life on the line here", Sasuke demanded, raising his hand with the wedding band to make sure the guy understood what he was talking about. The bond he shared with Naruto was far more precious than any other in the world.

"Now you listen, Uchiha-san", the policeman said, fully turning in his seat to face the three men in the back. He too had his brows furrowed and his lips pressed into a thin a line. "A friend of mine is also in there. He was part of the first police unit to follow the ANBU. He's also married, just like you. And his wife is seven months pregnant with a baby girl. It's their first child. And neither he nor Aiko know if he will come home tonight and all she can do is sit on her couch at home and wait and pray. Your husband's life if not the only one on the line here and you're not the only partner waiting for their beloved to come out of this alive. So spare me your pathetic attempts to fish for my empathy. The rules are there for a reason. Wait till Hatake-san is back".

The words hung heavy in the air, making Sasuke squirm in his seat. He knew he was selfish. Knew he didn't care about other people and made the world evolve just around himself more often than not.

"Leave it be, Ototou", Itachi said, placing a hand on Sasuke's right forearm to calm him down and Sasuke had to fight the urge to just shake it off and leave the car. He did get the point of what the policemen wanted to tell him, but knowing that other people suffered just as much as he did, didn't make it easier. Sasuke wasn't a person to draw comfort from knowing that he wasn't alone in a bad situation, because if it wasn't Naruto he shared it with that fact didn't change a thing.

What did he get from some unknown woman suffering somewhere on her own? Nothing. It didn't bring Naruto home nor did it make Sasuke's anxiety go away. If anything it made it worse. But he knew how to behave himself and kept his mouth shut. As much as it bugged him, he couldn't really do anything right now.

* * *

Naruto drifted in and out of consciousness unknowing how much time had passed and what was going on. His body was on fire, burning up and shivering at the same time. But he was alive. Alive and breathing (as kicking was a bit impossible at the time). He had no idea for how long that would last, but for now he wasn't dead yet.

The metal of the surgery table in his back was cool against his burning flesh, making him try to turn every now and then to press a different part of his body to the hard surface. God, he wanted to shred his skin to get away from the heat, but simultaneously knew that the fire came from within and couldn't be fought off by pressing his skin to cool metal. No matter how much he hoped it would.

Orochimaru was working on the counter again, mixing substances and writing down stuff into charts Naruto couldn't see from where he lay, but heard the pencil scrape over paper. He wouldn't last that much longer and closed his eyes. The next wave of electricity would probably kill him for good. Orochimaru had already said something about how hard it had been to bring him back from the edge last time his heart had stopped and that it had only been due to the large dose of the drug the man had developed.

Naruto didn't dare hope that it would work that way again next time.

He turned his head to the other table where Konohamaru lay, eyes open and wide for the first time since Naruto had gotten here. "Hey mate", he mouthed, the words so low neither Konohamaru nor Orochimaru would be able to hear them, but Naruto hoped that the boy would catch on them by the movement of Naruto's lips.

Orochimaru had decided on bringen Konohamaru into the room soon after Naruto had been electrified. To be honest, it was the last coherent thought he had, before falling into his current state of half consciousness - that he didn't want Konohamaru to watch this, but was too weak to do something about it.

"I'm sorry", he mouthed, watching Konohamaru's eyes widen as the boy caught on the words. Naruto smiled bitterly. He didn't want to hurt Konohamaru. Didn't want to scare him; but he knew he wasn't going to make it. Naruto loved that boy like a little brother, wanted to protect him at all costs, but he had achieved nothing but to delay the inevitable. Konohamaru would be next, once Naruto was dead.

And die he would.

He could feel it. Even though his body was filled up with drugs to keep his heart going, he knew that it wouldn't make it past the next assault. There was a tell tail cold creeping up his body starting in his toes. A cold that had nothing to do with cold steel he lay on nor with the chill provided by the air conditioning. It was a cold that arose from Naruto's very core. It sprang from his own bones and claimed his body in a relentless iron grip, dragging him down and smothering one organ at a time.

It was death.

Konohamaru whimpered a little. He was so pale, so very pale. And Naruto wondered if he looked as bad. Probably worse. Dancing at the edge of life itself.

Orochimaru hummed lowly as he worked beside them, never once sparing his 'assistants' as glance. "Stay strong. Help is on the way", Naruto mouthed again. He wanted nothing more than to reach out to Konohamaru and squeeze his hand, but he couldn't and it was frustrating.

"Narutonii-chan", Konohamaru said, making Orochimaru turn for a second. They boy wasn't as silent as Naruto was, but Naruto couldn't blame him. Watching a friend die had to be tormenting for the child and Naruto wished he had the power to at least cover Konohamaru's eyes for long enough to spare him the sight.

"Seems like your friend is just another failed experiment", Orochimaru said with a heavy sigh. "And here I was, thinking that maybe he could finally be the one to lead to my great break through".

Neither of the two boys answered, but Naruto wished he could growl. He wanted to shed the guy to pieces. But all that was left to him, was to pray that Sasuke would never stop looking for him and maybe find Konohamaru before he suffered the same fate as Naruto would.

"Well… it's time for your last service little soldier", Orochimaru turned, the syringe between his long, pale fingers and the same mad grin on his face he always showed before starting a new round of 'let's see if you can survive this'.

Naruto looked at Konohamaru again, knowing it would probably be the last time and smiled sadly. He didn't try to fight the tears as they came, burning behind his eyes and spilling hot and wet over his cheeks. He didn't even feel the pain when the salty liquid reached the wounds on his face. It didn't matter anymore. All that mattered was that he had failed.

Failed Konohamaru and Sarutobi-san as well. And Sasuke.

God, there really was nothing to regret in his life but the fact that he hadn't spent more time with Sasuke. Given the chance to live, Naruto knew he would hold no grudges against the man who had loved and abandoned him. There was nothing but forgiveness and the wish to spent just one more day with him. He missed him like crazy.

"Tell Sasuke, I love him", he whispered to Konohamaru, bracing himself for the syringe to penetrate his skin.

But the pain never came. Instead, the was a loud bang as the door to the room burst open and crashed against the wall, barely remaining in the hinge. Orochimaru paused and raised his head; snake like eyes going wide at what he saw.

"Help!", Konohamaru screamed. "He's going to kill him!". His voice was loud and shrill in the room, causing Naruto, who couldn't see the doorway from his position, to flinch.

"Put the syringe away, Orochimaru. It's over", Kakashi's voice filled the silence that followed Konohamaru's outburst and Naruto could hear the sound of the safety catch of a gun being released. A soft clicking noise that represented the intention to kill like nothing else in the world.

"No, it's not", Orochimaru hissed. Naruto saw rapid movement to his right, unable to make out what was happening, but a mere heartbeat later he felt the pain of something piercing the skin of his right thigh and hot, sharp pain spread through his body, setting him on fire.

And then there was gunfire.

* * *

Kakashi cursed under his breath the second he realized what was going to happen. His finger flew to the trigger without hesitation and the loud bang of the shot filled the room, but not before Orochimaru had rammed a different syringe into Naruto's leg, making the boy scream in pain.

Being the excellent shot that he was, Kakashi lowered his arm and aimed for Orochimaru's knee, hitting him dead centre and sending him crashing to the ground. Yamato and Anko were both on him only seconds later, holding the injured and bleeding man down, as he fought against the agents with surprising strength.

"We need paramedics in here. Urgently. A case of probable poisoning with an unknown substance", Kakashi all but yelled into the mic, before getting down to his knees to Orochimaru. He didn't dare touch either Naruto or Konohamaru in case he'd make things worse, but he could try and make Orochimaru spill the beans about what he'd just done to the blond boy on the table to their left.

"Desperate much?", Orochimaru asked, crackling a laugh that made Kakashi's blood run cold.

"What did you do to him?", he demanded, reaching out for the other man and holding him by the collar. Blood seeped through Orochimaru's clothes and made the floor slippery.

"Well, how about your _so called_ doctors find out about that? That is… before his heart fails, of course", there was another laugh and Kakashi's fist connected with Orochimaru's jaw.

"Rot in hell", he spat, turning to the paramedics rushing into the room behind him.

* * *

Sasuke had his hand on the handle, ready to storm out of the car. He knew he had promised Kakashi to stay put, but over the course of the past hour they'd brought victim after victim out of the hideout, some of them highly aggressive and fighting against the women and men trying to help them. However, none of them had been Naruto and just now there'd been gun shots. Fucking gun shots!

Sasuke wanted to know what was going on! He wanted to look for Naruto himself. This was taking too fucking long. A new unit of paramedics had already rushed inside, immediately following the gunfire. What had happened? Who had shot? Who _was_ shot? Was Naruto injured? In danger? Dead?

"Sasuke", Itachi growled, his hand on the other man's arm to keep him in the car.

"Fuck you, Itachi. I'm not waiting any longer. They've been inside for ages. I'm going in there myself now", Sasuke stated, fingers curling around the handle. The young officer who usually watched them had currently left the car to talk to one of his colleagues, giving Sasuke the ideal opportunity to act.

"Going in there on your own will only endanger Naruto further, Ototou. Listen to reason and stay here!", Itachi said, his grip tightening.

Suddenly there was movement on the other side of the car and to both men's surprise it wasn't Sasuke who rushed out of car, or well, not as the first one at least, but Gaara. Taken aback the unexpected turn of events, Itachi hesitated for just a moment, but nonetheless long enough for Sasuke to break free from his grip and swing the door open to follow Gaara, who was already running towards the building.

Neither of them ever made it inside, as the ANBU force just walked through the iron gate with a handcuffed Orochimaru who struggled against the hold around his wrists as best as he could, but to no avail and there, right behind Anko, was the team off paramedics with an orange stretcher, rushing an unconscious Naruto past Sasuke and Gaara and towards a waiting ambulance.

"What happened?", Sasuke demanded, reaching for Kakashi's arm only to have his hand swatted away.

"I told you to stay in the car. Is it so hard for you to follow even the simplest of instructions?", he asked, anger making his voice hard and heavy.

"We were worried. And we still are. We heard gunshots. Tell me what the fuck happened", Sasuke replied, knowing his voice was rising and his worry was getting the better of him, but he really couldn't stop himself. Not right now, not without knowing what had happened to Naruto.

"I shot Orochimaru. But only after he managed to inject an unknown substance into Naruto's leg. We still have no idea what it is, and Orochimaru refuses to give us any information. But from what Orochimaru said, the situation might be… bad. Naruto will be taken to the hospital immediately, while my team and I will try to get some information out of the bastard who created the drug", Kakashi grimaced and shook his head.

He looked years old than a few hours ago.

Cold fear settled in Sasuke's guts as he turned and watched Naruto being pushed into the ambulance. He shared a glance with Gaara and knew they were both thinking along the same lines.

"All we can do, is hope and pray", Kakashi said, voicing Sasuke's worst fears.

* * *

 **To be continued…**

 **Thank you for reading! Thank you to each and every one who made it through the chapter and still wants to read this! I love you all! All of you who read, and follow and leave me their feedback! You guys fuel my muse! I'm so grateful for all of you! Next chapter we'll see Naruto's and Sasuke's reunion. I hope you guys stay tuned.**


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